Oh! The temptation
by ktbaby
Summary: Hermione's & Draco's mothers went to primary school together-what will happen when they meet again and next term's Head Girl & Boy have to spend most of the summer together? a HGDM fic
1. It's So Good To See You

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Chapter 1

"You went to school with _her_?" Hermione stared across the train station at Narcissa Malfoy and then back at her mother with a mixture of shock and horror.

"Oh yes dear. She was such a nice girl. We would have been best friends if it weren't for her father who couldn't stand me. I never did understand why. Anyway, we managed quite well, 'cissa and I. We'd have picnics where no one could see us, and of course, you couldn't separate us during school. But I never saw her after primary school. Oh, I just have to go and talk to her. Come along Hermione, dear."

Hermione could understand perfectly why Mrs. Malfoy's father hadn't wanted her to be friends with Hermione's mother. Heaven forbid his precious baby girl should be friends with a muggle.

"I don't think that's such a good idea, Mum. Let's just go home. I'm tired after the trip and school and everything." Hermione pleaded

"Oh nonsense dear. I simply must go and speak to Narcissa before she leaves. Ooh! Look at her son -isn't he handsome! Are you friends with him dear?"

"God no! I hate Draco. I absolutely can't stand him- and if you make me go over there Mother, I'll never talk to you again!" Hermione only ever used the word 'mother' as a title when talking to hers if she wasn't happy about something and wanted her mother to know it. "I'm serious Mum. Don't make me go over there."

"I'm sorry dear. You'll just have to grin and bear it. Come along." Her mother strode towards where Draco and his mother stood, a twinkle in her eyes and a spring in her step.

"Narcissa! ' Cissa!" Mrs. Granger called out enthusiastically.

Mrs. Malfoy turned around in surprise at the sound of her name. Nobody had called her 'Cissa since primary school. She wondered who could possibly have recognised her. Her eyes rounded in wonder and disbelief as she watched Elspeth Jones almost running towards her at a speed that couldn't be mistaken as anything other than sheer determination.

"Elspeth! My goodness! I'd never in a million years have expected to see you here! How have you been? What have you been doing?" 

To Hermione' s surprise, Draco's mother reacted with all the emotions one would expect an old friend would. Draco, however, seemed as unimpressed as she was, and was alternating between staring death stares at her and looking pointedly between his mother and the clock on the train station wall. Finally, after about ten minutes chatter between their mothers –of which both Hermione and Draco took no notice- Draco spoke up.

"Mother I think it's time that we were leaving. You know Father doesn't like us to be late."

"Oh, Draco's right El. I'm sorry. Lucius can be quite romantic most of the time, but our house runs on a strict schedule."

"That's alright. Hermione and I need to be going as well. So, we'll meet here in a week's time to go away?"

"WHAT?!?!" 

The cry came from both Hermione and Draco at the same time.

"Oh," Mrs. Granger sighed in irritation. "Haven't you two been listening at all? We're going to a lake in the south together so that Narcissa and I can catch up, and hopefully you two can go back to school next term able to at least talk to each other if you're going to be leading the school." 

Narcissa Malfoy stepped forward and hugged Mrs. Granger. "It's so good to see you again El. I've missed you a lot."

Turning to go to their respective cars, neither Mrs. Malfoy nor Mrs. Granger noticed the poisonous looks between their children. A mixture of horror and downright hated passed across both of the young faces.

"There's no way on this earth that I am spending my summer holidays with a mudblood. So the ladies can forget it. I'd rather have to listen to Pansy 24/7 than live within a mile of you or your parents. So have a nice time, Granger, I'll be sure NOT to miss you," Draco spat out venomously.

"Same goes Malfoy. Same goes. Oh, and I'll be sure to tell Pansy how you feel next time I see her." Hermione grabbed the trolley that had her trunk on it and pushed it away, grimacing slightly at the prospect of holidaying with Malfoy, but then brightening when she realised that his mother would never make him do something he didn't want to do –and he definitely didn't want to go to her family's lakeside cabin.

~*~

Draco and his mother were in their chauffeured, air-conditioned black Bentley, and were in the middle of one of the biggest arguments their family had seen since Lucius had refused to go to his own father's funeral, despite Narcissa's pleadings, threats and ultimatums.

"I am not going to that cabin! I hate Granger –it's enough that I have to see her every day at school. And I'm actually going to have to talk to her properly next year –how on earth could they have made a mudblood Head Girl? But I refuse to spend my summer with her!"

"DRACO MALFOY! If I hear you call Hermione that name again I will call up her mother and we'll be at that cabin tomorrow –what's more, I'll send an owl to Professor Dumbledore and tell him that you don't deserve to be Head Boy and that Harry Potter should take your place. Now, we are going to that cabin in a week's time and there'll be no more talk otherwise. And if your father asks, we're staying with my sister –you know he can't stand her even more than he can't stand muggles. And if I hear that you've been telling him otherwise…" Narcissa let the threat hang, confident in her son's compliance to her wishes.

Draco moaned and sulked the entire drive back to their home. Spending the summer with Granger. Wonderful. If his friends ever heard about it he'd be the laughing stock of the school for the whole year. Then Draco grinned. No he wouldn't be. One look from him and no one would ever mention it again; through his six years at Hogwarts he'd acquired a reputation for being ruthless with those who displeased him. _Then again_, he thought, _maybe this summer won't be so bad. After all, in the last year or two Granger has blossomed. Now she's got wonderfully curved hips…and her breasts are so voluptuous…and tempting too. Well, I suppose I should do my part for inter-house relations, especially if we're going to be Head Boy & Girl after the summer. Yes, this summer is going to be mighty interesting indeed._


	2. On The Road Againor the train as the cas...

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Disclaimer: Ok, well, my disclaimer's got every chance of being the same in every single chapter, so I'm not going to bother writing it over & over, so if u want to read it go to chapter one. However, I would like to add that any song lyrics I use are definitely not mine, but no one's getting money for me using them either.

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A/N: Thank you so much to the six beautiful people who gave me reviews, I'll love you all forever. As for the rest of you…grrrrrrrr. Well…this is my first attempt at a fanfic, so I hope you'll forgive me my screw-ups. Well…here goes Chapter 2! I hope you enjoy it, & don't forget to review!

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Chapter 2

Hermione sighed as she flung herself down on the lower of the slim bunk beds in her cabin on the train to the lake. The past week had been very busy, as arrangements had to be made for groceries to be taken to the cabin, and she'd found out that she needed a whole new summer wardrobe because all her tops appeared to have shrunk in the wash, which had surprised her greatly as her mum always read the labels on clothes. But she hadn't minded that, _after all, any excuse to shop is a good excuse_.

Now, her mother was waiting in the aisle of the train for Mrs. Malfoy and -supposedly- Draco, who Hermione still doubted would be coming. Why would he want to spend a week with her anyway? Especially in a place where he wouldn't be able to practice Quidditch –during the day anyway.

Hermione sighed again –yes, life was going well. She loved the lake and the mountains that surrounded it. Even in the summer, there was always at least a small amount of snow at the top of them –and it was warm enough to swim in the lake too! Her summer was looking pretty good to her, and it would be good to rest before next term. No matter how good an act she kept up with Harry and Ron –who saw her as some kind of machine who just kept churning out answers- studying enough to learn what she needed to, and stay ahead of the rest of the grade too, took a lot out of her. 

Maybe she should take up a hobby or something. After all, Harry was Gryffindor Quidditch Captain –which always seemed to de-stress him- and Ron was practically married to his to chessboard when she didn't forcibly make him do his homework.

Oh well. The summer was sure to be relaxing, even if she couldn't find a hobby. Speaking of relaxing… she was almost asleep. Drifting…blurring…drowning in a whirlpool that was pulling her deeper and deeper into slee-

SLAM! Hermione sat up with a jolt.

"Hey 'Mione! I always wanted to have a female roommate." Draco leered at Hermione as he threw a backpack onto the top bunk.

_What the…?_

"What makes you think for one minute that I would share a room with you for even an hour, let alone overnight? And why are you here anyway? I'm sure you have better places to go. You know, things to wreck, places to trash, people to make fun of." In the middle of her outraged diatribe, Hermione had jumped off the bed and –despite the fact that Draco was a full head taller than her- looked directly into his crystal clear, beautifully deep expressive eyes. (A/N: did I just write that?!?!)

"Ohhh," Draco stepped closer to her and slipped his arms around her neck. "Don't you want to share with me Hermione? I promise not to walk around naked –much."

Just as Hermione pulled back –and she thanked her lucky stars afterwards for what happened- Draco's mother poked her head through the open door.

"Draco, darling, this is Hermione's cabin. Ours is the next one along dear."

"Oh, I know Mother. Hermione and I were just…catching up. Can I help you take your bag to your room?"

Draco smirked at Hermione as he left the room in a way that told her that he'd been pulling her leg all along –simply to get her riled at him. _Grrrrrrrr_, she thought.

~*~

Five hours later, Hermione had walked up and down her cabin about 100 times; done an hour of yoga; tried to read –she'd managed to read the same sentence ten times over-; and had had a light dinner. She was now in the shower.

Draco, for his part, had listened to some music; spent two hours in the train's gym; and contemplated –and decided upon- the best, and most shocking, way of retrieving his backpack from Hermione's room. He also was now in the shower.

~*~

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"He was a boy, 

She was a girl, 

Can I make it any more obvious?

He was a punk,

She did ballet,

What more can I say…"

Singing along to the music blaring from her headphones, Hermione was curled up in bed reading a book by her favourite author that had just come out. When she finished the chapter she was in the middle of, she picked up her Discman and went to the sink opposite the door to get a glass of water. Behind her, she heard a dull thud, and when she turned around, she found herself looking at a broad, muscle-bound chest that was glistening with droplets of water. Looking down, she praised The Lord that this Greek God impostor had a towel wrapped around his waist. Looking up, she discovered a heedful of damp, spiky blonde hair, and an impish smile that would have tempted Mary herself…

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A/N: Well well well. Who would have thunk it? As my friend Chris would say, I'm seeing another side of you that I've never met before. Neway, please review! I live for them.

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	3. Oh my

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Disclaimer: Yeah…yada yada yada…it's all on the first chapter…no ones getting any money…I "borrowed" all the characters…please don't sue me.

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A/N: Thank you to the twenty people who sent me reviews…I love you all. Umm…hmmm…I believe the most interesting thing about where we left off was Draco in just a towel…mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…well…here goes chapter 3…I hope you like it. Oh, and btw this'll be the last chapter for a while bcoz our computer broke in the middle of the year & we borrowed this one & now we have to give it back…so, yeah, there won't be any more chapters for a little while I'm sorry. & I'm as disappointed as you are, because I love writing this, its so much fun, especially when you send me reviews! (hint hint) oh…& I'm going to see HP & The Chamber of Secrets at the movies on Fri. 29th with all my friends & I'm so excited!

Chapter 3

Previously on OTT…. (A/N: that sounds so All Saints…does anybody watch that?…well it does…except they say previously on All Saints)

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"He was a boy, 

She was a girl, 

Can I make it any more obvious?

He was a punk,

She did ballet,

What more can I say…"

Singing along to the music blaring from her headphones, Hermione was curled up in bed reading a book by her favourite author that had just come out. When she finished the chapter she was in the middle of, she picked up her Discman and went to the sink opposite the door to get a glass of water. Behind her, she heard a dull thud, and when she turned around, she found herself looking at a broad, muscle-bound chest that was glistening with droplets of water. Looking down, she praised The Lord that this Greek God impostor had a towel wrapped around his waist. Looking up, she discovered a head full of damp, spiky blonde hair, and an impish smile that would have tempted Mary herself…

~*~

Hermione stared at Draco in shock and (though she hated to admit it) wonder. 

"Oh my…."

"Your what?" Draco's self-satisfied drawl was all it took to shake Hermione from her awe-stricken state.

"Draco Malfoy! What the hell are you doing in my room wearing a towel?!?!" 

"Oh, okay…you'd prefer I wasn't wearing the towel? I can fix that." Draco moved to release one end of the towel from where it was tucked, holding up the towel, and Hermione spun around and covered her eyes, terrified that she might see something she didn't want to.

"That's not what I meant and you know it! Now, are you decent? I want to turn around and yell at you properly."

"Am I decent? Hmmm… Am I decent? Well I suppose that depends on what you call decent. I think I'm quite decent. But if you want to know if I'm decent according to you then you'll have to turn around and find out for yourself. Or we could just stand here all night, because I want to ask you something…and I refuse to talk to your back any more." Draco grinned devilishly as he issued his ultimatum – she'd have to turn around soon…she couldn't stay like that all night. _Could she_?

Draco stared in surprise and horror as Hermione tipped her head back and drank the glass of water in her hand, then bent her knees an lay down on the floor, facing the wall. Then he noticed what such an action entailed. Her "pyjamas" consisted of a cornflower blue satin nightgown that had skimmed the middle of her thighs when she'd been standing. Now however, it had slipped up to skim the curve of her bottom. And it didn't look as though she had any intention of moving it.

As he stared at Hermione's long, slender legs and her bottom, Draco began to think that maybe this hadn't been such a good idea after all. Part of his body that he had no control over was moving, which could be very embarrassing should Hermione turn over. Then he thought of a way to make her as uncomfortable as he was.

"Well, I certainly don't intend to spend the night on the floor; but I really need to ask you this question. So I'm just going to lie down in your bed and wait for you to stop sulking."

Hermione heard Draco walk across the small room. Then she heard a gentle thud, as if something soft had been dropped on the floor.

"That was me dropping the towel, because I wouldn't want to get your sheets damp."

Hermione squeezed her eyes shut against the images that flooded her mind as his words sank in.

"And this is me," Hermione heard a rustle of sheets, "getting into your nice warm bed. Sleep sweet angel. Don't get too cold down there – feel free to join me if you do though."

Five minutes later Hermione heard the deep, even breathing that told her that Draco was asleep. Well, if he's going to sleep in my bed, then I'm going to sleep in his! Standing up, she deliberately didn't look at Draco's sleeping form, and stepped into the corridor. She was surprised, however, to find Draco's mother asleep in his cabin. Not wanting to disturb her, Hermione returned to her own room.

Tiptoeing into her cabin Hermione wondered what she could do. There was no way she was sleeping in her mother's cabin…Elspeth Granger talked in her sleep, and after sharing a tent with her when they went camping last summer, there was no way Hermione could even contemplate doing it again. So that left the top bunk in her room. Unfortunately though, she'd stripped that bed of its miniscule amount of sheets and blankets to add them to the lower beds also miniscule pile of blankets, which she'd been cold underneath.

Hermione moved towards the beds, fully intending to take some of the bedclothes off the lower bed. When she got there, however, she saw Draco, and remembered that he was stark naked underneath the blankets. This thought made her decide to leave all the blankets right where they were. Which meant she had to sleep in her dressing gown. Wonderful. Fan****ingtastic. Hermione grabbed the gown out of the small cupboard, and climbed up to the top bed. There, she lay shivering for half an hour before falling into a fitful sleep.

~*~

Draco wasn't sure exactly what woke him up, but he figured it would have to be the fact that he couldn't breathe very well because of the heavy cloth partially covering his face. Pulling it aside, he switched on the bedside lamp and looked at the clock on the wall. 2am. Damn. He hadn't even meant to fall asleep. That was when he realised that Hermione was no longer on the floor. It was also when he heard a small whimpering sound, and another sound he couldn't quite distinguish; he then noticed a dip in the mattress above his head. Leaping out of the bed, he turned and found himself looking at Hermione, curled up in a tight ball on the top bunk, covered in nothing but her nightgown. 

_Shit_. Her skin held a slightly bluish tinge –and was covered in goosebumps-, and the before indistinguishable noise now became clear as he saw her teeth chattering. _Double shit. I'm sorry Hermione; I didn't mean this to happen_. As he stared at Hermione, he realised that she needed to get warm, and quickly. The first solution that came to his mind was to get her into the bottom bunk. He discarded this idea as quickly as it came though, because he realised he'd have to wake her up to do that. The next idea seemed plausible, and so he grabbed all the sheets and blankets from the bottom bed, and climbed up next to Hermione.

He then rearranged the sheets around them both -nice and tight and cosy- and drew Hermione up against his body, running his hands up and down her arms in order to warm her up. Although he appreciated the fact that he was lying smack bang up against one of the most beautiful girls he'd ever seen –and that his body was reacting accordingly- he decided to ignore it and focus on warming Hermione up. After he felt that she was warm enough, he wrapped his arms around her and held her, delighting in the fact that she subconsciously snuggled closer and rested her head on his shoulder. He gently played with her hair as he drifted off to sleep, and the last thing he could recall thinking was how pleasant and comforting it was just to hold somebody while you slept.

~*~

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Hermione slowly drifted out of sleepland, and found herself in a cocoon of warmth, with dim sunlight streaming through the window onto her closed eyelids. For some reason that she couldn't quite figure out there was something warm and soft beside her. Caring only that it was warm and that it represented contentment, she snuggled closer and wrapped her arms around it. Confused, but willing to go along with whatever was happening, Hermione responded to the arms that wrapped around her and the lips that descended to touch hers. _I must still be asleep after all. Oh well, I like this dream; I hope it doesn't stop soon. _

"Mmmmm." Draco groaned into the lips that touched his, the sound reverberating through both of their bodies. _I must be dreaming_. Slowly and carefully –and because of lack of oxygen- he drew back to look down at the girl beside him. 

Both Draco and Hermione opened their eyes at the same time, and both realised immediately that it was no dream. Hermione's eyes widened with a mixture of leftover excitement and lethargy, and horror at what she'd just done. Draco simply stared at her, and then the corners of his mouth started to tilt up in a small smile that was the embodiment of the mischief and smugness for which he was well known.

"Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! I can't believe this is happening. Wait a second…WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN MY BED?!?! What possessed you to pull a stunt like that? I can't believe that even you would be that low! Last I saw you were only wearing a towel, and," here Hermione bent over the edge of the bed to see the towel still lying on the floor –and consequently over Draco-, "I see you're no longer wearing it. So what exactly are you wearing?"

"Well, let's see then shall we?" Draco flung back the covers as he said this, which resulted in Hermione squeezing her eyes shut tight for the second time in 10 hours. "Tut tut tut. Honestly Hermione, you have no faith whatsoever. It's okay to look."

Slowly and cautiously, Hermione opened her eyes, expecting –and not quite prepared for- the worst. Spread before her –and altogether too close to her for her comfort- was Draco's athletically toned body, resplendent in a pair of navy blue satin boxer shorts. She breathed a deep sigh of relief, and then finally registered that he was still in her bed.

"Well, clothed or not, you're still in my bed, which is one place you will never be again if I have anything to say about it." Taking a deep breath, Hermione gathered all her strength and pushed hard against Draco, sending him sprawling off the bed and onto the floor.

"Hey! That hurt!"

"Good. Now get out of my room before I tell our mothers' what you've been up to."

"Okay, okay, I'm going, I'm going. But would you be so good as to tell me what you've done with my bag? Unless you'd prefer me to wander around like this for the rest of the day, that is."

Hermione pursed her lips and scowled at him. "Is that the question you so desperately needed to ask me last night –which I might add kept me out of my bed?"

"Yep. Seemed pretty important to me at the time –that I had my clothes that is."

Hermione scowled again. "It's in the cupboard. Now get out before I hit you."

Draco opened the cupboard and grabbed his bag. He was just about to step through the door when her remembered that he hadn't done or said anything typical of himself in at least two days. So he left Hermione with a parting shot accompanied by a cheeky grin, before escaping from the firing range.

"You know, they say that violence in a woman can be quite explosive when transferred into passion."

~*~

(A/N: Please note that I almost finished the chapter here, but decided I'd better get them off the train –finally!)

After shoving all her clothes into a bag, pacing up and down her cabin and having a shower, Hermione finally let herself think about what had happened the night before. Something about it was bothering her –apart from the obvious- and she couldn't figure out what it was. The last thing she could remember was curling up on the top bed and being extremely cold. The next thing she could remember was waking up pressed against Draco and kissing him like there was no tomorrow. _Which is a memory I should really make every effort to remove from my brain completely as soon as possible._

_Oh I don't know_, said a mischievous little voice in her head, _it seems by far one of the most exciting memories you have_.

S_hut up. You don't know what you're talking about._

Hermione thought further back. She could see Draco curled up in the bottom bed, underneath all the blankets_… that's it! How did both he and all the blankets get up onto the top bed with me? Unless… Oh no. Please no. Don't tell me he did something nice. I remember being so cold…and then…warm. He had to have. How else would they have got up there? Oh God. I practically accused him of taking advantage of me. Which means I have to apologise to him…_

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A/N: Well, that was quite a long chapter, wasn't it? I hope you liked it. Please review.


	4. apologies, explanations and slaps

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Disclaimer: You know the drill. 

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A/N: Finally!!!!! Chapter 4! Sorry about the wait, but this is my first opportunity to get it to you all. I hope you liked the last chapter. I got heaps of reviews from you all so thanks heaps for that. Anyway…on with the show…or the story…whatever. Oh…& Draco's character might not be exactly the same as it is in the book but it would be impossible to write this story unless I changed it…so sorry about that.

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Chapter 4

The train finally pulled up to the station about half an hour's drive from the cabin, and Hermione dreaded the moment when she had to get off. Apologising to Malfoy was definitely not something she would relish doing. In fact, she'd rather have detention for a month with Professor Snape than say sorry to the spoiled, egotistical, arrogant snob that was Hogwarts' future head boy.

"Come on Hermione dear, or the train will go with you still on it. And that would be a terrible thing to happen." Elspeth Granger bustled into Hermione's cabin and started fussing over her –straightening the straps of her top, pushing her hair off her face and generally annoying Hermione.

"I'm coming Mum, I'm coming. Let's just get off this train before I die of claustrophobia."

Picking up her bag and following her mother off the train, Hermione took a deep breath and wondered if she'd ever be able to sleep on a train again without remembering the night she'd spent in Dra- Malfoy's arms. "I hope so," she whispered to herself.

"What's that dear?" Her mother questioned her.

"Oh, nothing Mum, just talking to myself."

"Talking to yourself, Granger? First sign of madness, you know."

Hermione stiffened and turned around to face the owner of the voice. "Good morning Malfoy. Manage to insult anyone else yet? Or did you save your first insult of the day for lil' ole me? I'm touched – really I am." 

"As you should be, as you should be. But perhaps I should wait until we reach your little cabin to give you another one, or else our dear mothers will leave us behind." Draco motioned to the two women, who had fetched a taxi, loaded their luggage into it, and were indeed in the process of getting inside it.

"Wait… Draco…There's something I have to know…"

"Well what is it? Come on…I don't fancy walking all the way there."

"Last night…why didn't you tell me that you were in bed with me to warm me up? All I can remember is being freezing, then warm, and then screaming at you for taking advantage of me. And…well…I just wanted to know…why did you do it? And why didn't you tell me this morning?"

"Well, it wasn't really something I thought about. You were absolutely freezing, and it seemed like the quickest way to get you warm was to jump in with you. As for not telling you…my reputation would have been ruined." Here Draco's mouth twisted in a harsh smile. " Can't you just imagine what people would say? Draco Malfoy in bed with a mudblood. I'd be humiliated."

At the word mudblood Hermione stepped back, shaken. So much for apologising. _He can't have just said it, not after his tenderness last night. No._ She hated that word. It made her feel incompetent and inferior. As if she wasn't worthy enough to stand in the presence of 'The Great Draco Malfoy'. Huh. As if. Despite the fact that tears were welling up in her eyes, she lifted her head high –and her hand- and did something she'd wanted to do since she had done it in third year. She slapped him hard straight across his smug aristocratic face.

Then she smiled radiantly at him. "Anytime you feel like another handprint on your other cheek to match that one, feel free to use that word again." Despite the fact that she was sure her voice wobbled halfway through her small speech, Hermione felt a lot better having wiped the twisted smile off his face.

Draco stared as Hermione strode towards the car where their mothers' waited. Well hell. He hadn't known that she hated the word that much. Sure, it was a pretty bad insult. But he'd said it countless times since they started at Hogwarts. 

_You fool. It's not just the word that riled her this time. You did something nice for her last night –for the first time in your life you did something for someone else. And she figured it out. Is that what pissed you off? The fact that she caught you out? You do realise she was probably going to say sorry to you for yelling at you last night? What else could she have been leading up to? And you insulted her with the worst possible slur you could have thought of in a month of Sundays_. _So she slapped you. I'm not surprised really. You deserved it. I only hope you get to figuring out the real reason for your sudden pleasantness before it's too late. Oh…and if I were you –which I am technically- I'd apologise to her before she realises what a complete jerk you are._

Getting lectured by a little voice in his head was not one of Draco's favourite pastimes. In fact, it made him wonder just who was displaying the first signs of madness. Rubbing his cheek softly, he gathered up his bag and headed for the car, only to find that the only spare seat was next Hermione. A very upset and angry looking Hermione. Even though she had the remnants of tears streaming down her face, her lips were set in a stubborn line, and her arms were folded tightly across her chest. _Her lusciously curved, enticing chest_. Draco groaned to himself as he realised that sitting next to Hermione would entail pressing his side up against hers. Which was liable to make his present state worse. And annoy Hermione even more. 

As Draco climbed into the cab, Hermione looked up at him. Gritting her teeth and lowering her voice so that no one else in the car could here her, she lay down the rules for the trip. 

"Okay, here's the deal. Our mothers' think that sitting next to each other will help us get along. But so help me God if you intentionally touch me during this trip I swear I'll give you marks to match that one," here she gestured to his cheek, "in places that'll make it impossible for you to sit down for a month."

Matching is voice tone and pitch to hers, Draco replied to Hermione before he could even censor the words that leapt out of his mouth. "Hermione dear. You never told me you were so kinky. You should have, you know. We could have such fun." 

The cheap remark earned him a scowl as black as thunder and a retort including such language that he wondered whether his initial judgement of Hermione as a goody-two-shoes was correct.

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_Either way it's going to be a long journey, boyo. And I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for Hermione to forgive you either. Another ice age is likely to occur before that happens. _

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A/N: Well I'm not sure if I like that chapter so I might change it…we'll see how it goes. Review and tell me what you think.


	5. Lalala otherwise known as 'The Singing E...

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Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns all the Harry Potter characters and related words/places etc. I don't (unfortunately) own anything except the storyline. Oh, and once again the song lyrics aren't mine either, but I will put a "chapter" at the end of the story saying who all the songs belong to.

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A/N: Wow! Chapter 5! I'm very sorry this has taken so long, I couldn't get the chapter off my other computer cos my dad unplugged it. But I finally decided to just write a different but similar version of the other one…so here goes! Oh, and to rabid-dragons: thank you for your review, I loved it because it was so long! As to whether or not there will be any 'smut' (actually, I hate that word, it makes the genre seem dirty & degrading, so I'm going to use the term 'erotic scenes' okay?), as I was saying, as to whether there will be any erotic scenes between the two main characters we'll have to wait and see. I'm not sure how much detail I want to go into, because that stuff's really personal. So we'll see how it goes okay? Oh, and thank you to everyone else who reviewed as well - I love you!

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Chapter 5

Draco stared out the window of the taxi at the cabin that was at the end of the driveway they had turned into_. So much for their 'little cabin'_. The 'cabin' looked more like a house, albeit a very log cabin-ish looking house, but a house nonetheless. It was made out of stones and logs and vaguely reminded him of his great-aunt's ski cabin in Switzerland. It was two storeyed, and – judging by the windows there- it even looked like there were rooms in the roof. Basically, the place was huge, even compared to his own oversized house.

_I am soooooo going to get lost_. 

*****

Hermione had already dumped her suitcase in her room, had a nice refreshing shower and had lunch. Ten minutes ago her mother had told her that she and Mrs. Malfoy were walking to the nearby town, and that she was to be nice to 'that delightful young man'. Two minutes ago she had discovered that – in Hermione's absence - her mother had shown Malfoy the entertainment room. Now, normally one might wonder what was so wrong with that, seeing as it could keep him occupied all afternoon. But normally one doesn't have in one's entertainment room what Hermione's family had in theirs.

Before they had discovered that she was a witch, Elspeth and Peter Granger had held high hopes of their beautiful baby girl Hermione becoming a singer. This being the case, they had installed a state of the art karaoke system, which had come with free song updates and additions for the next umpteen years after they'd bought it. And the newest update had been quite recently.

Now the point of all this was that Elspeth Granger had shown a young, handsome, blond snob by the name of Draco Malfoy exactly how to use said karaoke machine. And the second that he'd seen Hermione enter the doorway he'd given a slight smirk, had turned and fiddled with the machine, picked up the microphone, and taken his place on the small raised platform at one end of the room, which served as a stage.

He was now singing. And surprisingly well actually, especially seeing as it would be considered a 'teeny-bopper' song and she'd never thought that he'd like that sort of music, let alone be able to sing it. But that wasn't the point. The point was what he was singing, which was pissing her off more and more by the second.

__

"Hey, hey baby / Ooh, uhh

I wanna know / if you'll be my girl.

Hey, hey baby / ooh, uhh

I wanna know / if you'll be my girl."

Apparently her death stares across the room from where she was leaning against the doorway weren't encouraging Malfoy to stop singing. Well in that case he can have a spoonful of his own medicine! Hermione thought as she navigated her way through various couches, tables and more appliances that her parents had believed that she needed and that they needed when they entertained. Stepping up to the machine, she scrolled through the wide selection of songs before finding the one she wanted.

"Move over ferret boy. Let someone else have a go in the spotlight for a while. Oh, and listen carefully, 'cause I'm only going to say this once."

Malfoy handed over the microphone after wincing slightly at the reminder of his stint as a small, fluffy, bouncing animal. He then settled himself on the arm of a chair to listen to Hermione.

Hermione smiled, counted the beats of the song intro, and then opened her mouth to sing on the appropriate beat.

*****

Granger was singing. And she was good too – really good. He wasn't really listening to her at the moment – well…not to the actual words of the song anyway. He probably should. But just listening to her voice was enough to send his systems haywire. _What's wrong with me? Was I really just having erotic thoughts about Miss-Know-It-All Mudblood? Am I going crazy? _

Just then Granger started in on what sounded like the chorus of the song, and the words caught his ears.

__
    
    "Don't think that I'm not strong
    I'm the one to take you on
    Don't underestimate me boy I'll make you sorry you were born
    You don't know me the way you really should
    You're sure misunderstood
    Don't call me baby
    You got some nerve and baby that'll never do
    You know I don't belong to you
    It's time you knew I'm not your baby
    I belong to me

So don't call me baby."

I've got nerve????? Who does she think she is talking to me like that? Stupid Gryffindor. Thinks she's soooooo good. Huh.

Draco stalked over to the karaoke machine and switched it off mid-song, and then turned to face Hermione. She smiled innocently at him, as if she'd known nothing about the meaning behind the words she'd been singing. "Ohh, didn't poor Drakie-baby like my little song?"

"Hell no. You knew exactly what you were saying by singing that song at me, and I'm beginning to see it as a challenge."

"A challenge, Malfoy? You couldn't make me want to belong to you in a month, no a year, of Sundays. As for letting you call me baby, well _honey_, I'm sorry but it ain't ever going to happen."

"Now that is definitely a challenge if ever I heard one. And you're on Granger. By the end of this little holiday I bet you won't know which way's up you'll want to belong to me so much."
    
    *****

"A bet. How cute. Okay, I accept. Just be careful about telling people about this little bet Malfoy, because you wouldn't want to go back to Hogwarts as Head Boy with everyone knowing that you lost a bet with a Gryffindor." Hermione smiled sweetly, and sashayed smugly out of the room, confident in the knowledge that she'd never let Malfoy get within a metre of her unless she was slapping him once again.

*****

Draco's eyes narrowed. _So much for softening her up_. But a bet…well he never could resist a challenge. _Watch out Hermione…this bet is going to entail us getting mighty close. I hope you can handle the heat_.

As he watched the gentle sway of Hermione's hips as she walked away, the thought crossed his mind that he could be getting himself into trouble – considering the sparks that flew every time they touched and everything – but he ignored it.

He was famous for his control. And, after all, this was only a silly Gryffindor they were talking about. And not only a Gryffindor, but Granger, for goodness' sake. He'd never lost control in his life and he didn't plan to start now.

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A/N: Phew! I haven't written in ages, so that was a bit exhausting, but if you're all good and send me reviews (good ones that is!) then I'll put the next chapter up really soon. 


	6. UhohNaughty naughty

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Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me *sighs* except for the storyline.

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A/N: lalalalala. Oh my god! This is like, only 2? 3? Days after Chapter 5! Wow! Hmmm…I'm not too sure about what's going to happen in this chapter, so we'll see where it takes us, shall we? Oh, and there is some nudity and sexual implications in this chapter, so lease, if you're under 13 don't read it because you're not old enough, and you're too innocent.

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Chapter 6

He was lost, dammit. How had that happened? One minute he'd known perfectly well where he was, and the next, he couldn't tell whether he was heading towards or away from the main part of the house.

It was early in the morning the day after they'd arrived at the lake and Draco had been woken by the chilly air blowing through the semi-open window. He hadn't been able to return to sleep. Seeing it as an opportunity to look around the house undisturbed, he'd quickly pulled on yesterday's clothes -_ugh, I can't believe I'm putting on dirty clothes, I must be going insane_- and had set out to look at everything. Unfortunately he appeared to have forgotten to bring breadcrumbs, which he obviously needed to find his way home. 

There was a set of stairs at the end of this corridor, which led up to somewhere that remained unexplored. As he was already on the top floor, the only place they could lead to was the rooms in the roof. _Oh well, its not as if I've got anywhere better to be_, he thought with a sigh. Reaching for the handrail – the stairs curved up steeply- he carefully made his way up to the top, where he came face to face with a heavy wooden door that was closed. Reaching out, he tried the handle, but found it locked. Just one more reason why this was turning out to be a bad day. 

Draco turned with his back to lean against the door and slid down it until he was seated on the top step. He tilted his head back to rest against the door, closed his eyes and placed his hands on the step either side of his body. It was then that he noticed something he hadn't before. He lifted his wand hand and underneath it was something small and metal. It was bent into the shape of a long skinny 'u', and one of the sides of the 'u' had a few waves in it. It looked vaguely familiar, and he knew he'd seen one before, but where? Then the thought hit him – at Hogwarts. There had been at least a dozen on Pansy's bedside table one of the mornings after they'd…well…you know. What had she called it? A hairpin? A bobby pin? Something like that.

Draco's attention strayed from the pin in his hands to the lock on the door and back again. The lock was old and used a big key, unlike the newer locks that used tiny flat keys, this lock was huge. Which meant that the key wasn't necessary, as long as you had something else the right size to put into the lock and fiddle around with…

_Maybe…Well…If he was quick, and didn't move anything no one would know… _Draco's eyes again shifted between the lock and the hairpin in his hand. He slowly got up and lifted the hand with the pin to the lock. He could just see inside the lock, and as he inserted the hairpin into it, he used that slight vision to guide his way. After a couple of minutes, there was a soft click, and when Draco again attempted to open the door, it swung open quietly, allowing Draco full view of the room and its contents.

To which he responded with amazed shock. And annoying arousal.

Directly opposite the door was a window whose curtains were open, letting the soft morning sunlight in, and illuminating that half of the room. Beneath the windowsill was a large, antique-style bed, upon which lay a beautiful – and very naked- Miss Hermione Granger. Oh, it wasn't as if she had no bedclothes covering her whatsoever, there was a sheet, and even a doona on the bed. But enough of her was exposed to leave no doubt that she wasn't wearing pyjamas. She was lying stretched out on her back, and had her arm closest to him tucked up under her head. During the night she'd obviously got too hot, and had flung her leg closest to him out from under the sheets, and it was now laying on top of them. This had caused the uncovering of most of that side of her. 

With his eyes he traced a line up her body, starting from the tips of her toes, travelling up the taut skin of her leg, over her smoothly rounded hip, past the curvaceous indent of her waist, pausing for a moment on the creamy skin of the outer curve of her breast, up over her shoulder, and finally coming to rest on the top of her head. Unconsciously, he crossed the room, and stopped at the foot of Hermione's bed. 

Involuntarily, Draco's hand rose and touched her toes. Their nails were a deep cherry red colour that was offset by the pale creamy colour of her feet. He quickly checked to see if Hermione was awake when her toes clenched at the tickling of his fingers, the breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that her eyes were still closed. He slid his hand up her leg, where it came to rest at her hip. Slowly and gently he traced wandering patterns all over her hip, occasionally straying to the concavity of her waist, but then returning to the jutting bone of her hip. 

_She's so beautiful_. Unbidden the thought rose to his mind. _Why didn't I ever see this before_? Kneeling, he touched his lips to her hipbone, kissing it softly, tenderly. 

He lifted his head enough to whisper to her "Beautiful," and then lowered it again, anxious for another taste of her skin.

*****

There was a very cold breeze whirling into her room from the open window and it was giving her goosebumps. Hermione scrunched her eyes closed tightly in an attempt to block out the unwanted mandate to wear pyjamas to bed. _If I were a sensible person I would have shut stupid window last night. But I'm not am I? So there you go_. Slowly she recognised the presence of another person in the room, despite the fact that her eyes were still closed. Another person very close to her, in fact so close that they were touching. Slowly she opened her eyes, pulling the doona up under her chin. 

About halfway down the bed, bent over her hip was a blonde head. And, as Hermione knew, there was only one person staying in this house with blonde hair that would be in her room. 

Hermione was outraged at the idea that Malfoy was in her room and that he was…what was he doing? She couldn't actually see from the angle that she was at, but it felt so good. It was gentle, and soft, and…tender. _Hang on a second! This is Malfoy we're talking about send him packing! Kick his ass out of here so hard that he lands in next week! Or, even better, next month!_

Hermione jerked her leg back under the covers as quickly as she could without displaying even more of herself to Malfoy than he had already seen. His head snapped up quickly to look at her, his face a picture of shock and embarrassment at having been caught doing something he'd never admit to in a million lifetimes.

"Draco Malfoy, you Slytherin scum! What the hell are you doing?"

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A/N: Dadadadum. Uh-oh! Naughty naughty naughty. Tee hee hee. 


	7. if you want to get a girl

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Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me, I swear! And I'm not paying anyone royalties either, 'kay?

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A/N: Okay people, I'm back! I've eaten a lot of chocolate –especially of the Easter egg variety- and have done a lot of talking & crying and all that and I think I'm okay enough to write some more of this story. Yay. Oh, and thank you to all the people who "reviewed" and said they hoped I was okay. So…here goes Chapter 7!

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Chapter 7

Previously on OTT:

Okay, so lets review what happened last chapter cos that was pretty exciting & stuff happened. Basically, Draco accidentally stumbled on Hermione's bedroom at an indecent hour of the morning when he definitely should have been in bed, but he couldn't sleep & so had decided to explore the house. When he opened Hermione's door (he used a hairpin on the step to unlock the door) he found Hermione fast asleep on her bed…naked. Responding to some inner driving force that he could not stop, Draco approached Hermione, and started to place gentle kisses on her exposed hip. Hermione woke up because she hadn't shut the window last night and there was a cold breeze blowing in, and responded to Draco's actions with:

__

"Draco Malfoy, you Slytherin scum! What the hell are you doing?"

and that was the end of the chapter. So here we go with what happens next.

*****

Draco froze looking up at Hermione, unable to think of a single plausible excuse for why he was in her room, making love to her hipbone with his mouth. Hermione was sitting up and glaring at him, the covers on her bed pulled up under her chin so that not one millimeter of skin below her neck was exposed to Draco's eyes. And she looked pissed. Really pissed. 

Suddenly, Draco remembered their bet from the afternoon before. Perfect.

"I'm making you want me, remember? No time like the present to start working on winning our little bet."

As Draco watched her eyes to see if she believed him, he saw something indefinable flicker through her eyes when he lied and said that he was only trying to win their bet. What was it? It couldn't be hurt could it? No. She didn't care about him, and she certainly didn't want him. _Well, not yet anyway_, he thought with a smirk. 

But just as quickly as it had appeared in her eyes, it disappeared, and it was as if shutters had covered Hermione's eyes, and he couldn't see any of what she was feeling. And as she opened her mouth to speak, he wondered if maybe he'd just done damage to his cause, rather than helping it.

"I don't care about the stupid bet! Why the hell did you come here? It's," Hermione glanced at the clock on her bedside table, "only 7 in the morning. I should be asleep!" Another thought passed through Hermione's head as she remembered that she'd locked her door last night. "How'd you get in here anyway?"

Draco at least had the decency to blush as he held up the rogue hairpin.

"You own hairpins? And you carry them about with you?" Hermione looked a bit weirded out at that thought.

"Of course I don't own hairpins!" Draco spouted indignantly. " I found it on the top step, it was just sitting there. And I was curious. So I opened the door with it. And when I saw you lying there naked as the day you were born I just couldn't waste the opportunity to put my plan into action."

When Draco mentioned the bit about her being nude, Hermione flushed. After having to sleep in pyjamas the whole time she was at Hogwarts, Hermione relished being able to sleep without any pjs on in the warmer months she spent at home. Now however… But it was only one summer. She could cope. But if the spoiled Draco was trying to seduce her, there were a couple of things he needed to know. 

"Draco. Much as I'm loath to help you win, there's something you need to know about girls. Although the first thought that pops into a girls head when she sees you may be about how good you kiss, or what you'd be like to date, before she acts on it, she's going to want to know she can trust you. That she can be friends with you. Believe it or not, you can't spend your whole life in bed. Once you get out, if there's nothing to talk about & you don't get along with each other, what's the point? So, what I'm trying to say, is if you're trying to get a girl to like you…want you…whatever…you've got to be her friend first. And make her trust you. Not just so's you can betray her, but because you're a good person. Now, I seriously doubt you are a good person, so maybe you could work on that too while you're at it. Oh, and just so you know, sneaking in here when I didn't invite you in and had the door locked doesn't inspire my trust."

Draco watched in wonder as Hermione spoke. So he had to be her friend, eh? Well, he could do that. No one had to know. It'd only be until he had her begging for him. Then he could tell everyone how he'd tricked the Gryffindor Head Girl into falling for a Slytherin. How he'd laugh then. But he couldn't let her know his plan.

"Be just friends with a girl?" Draco questioned. "Is that even possible?"

Hermione looked at him in contempt. "Yes, it's possible Malfoy, even for you. Look at Harry and Ron and I. We've been friends since First Year."

Draco nearly laughed out loud as he looked directly into Hermione's eyes. "You're telling me that neither Potter nor Weasley have ever tried to come on to you, and you've never felt anything other than friendship for either of then? Come off it Granger. You may think I'm evil, but at least credit me with a little intelligence."

"Why should I? And no," Hermione blushed a little as she lied, "we've only ever been friends.

"What about that hissy fit Weasley threw after the Yule Ball in Fourth Year? Remember, when you went with Krum?"

"You know about that?"

"Hermione, everyone knew about that. It was around the school before breakfast the next morning. Anyway, before you're imprinted in my mind forever as a liar, are you sure nothing ever happened between you and Weasley?"

"Well, okay, maybe a little something, but not for very long after I came to my senses."

"And Weasley was okay with that?" Draco couldn't believe what he was hearing. Surely Weasley wasn't a complete and utter lunatic, despite all the other things Draco'd thought about him over the past six years.

"Of course he was! It was a mutual decision," Hermione said firmly.

"If you say so," replied Draco. "And Potter?"

"Never." Hermione suddenly noticed that as they'd spoken Malfoy had moved from kneeling beside the bed to sitting on it in front of her. "And now, it's time for you to go. And remember what I told you on the train? I never want you on my bed again."

Draco grinned as he too realised where he was sitting. He reached out and grasped Hermione's hand from where it rested on her knee. He pulled it to his lips and kissed the fingertips gently, provoking Hermione into withdrawing it quickly. He knew he was playing with fire, but he couldn't for the life of him stop. 

"I tell you what, Miss Hermione," Draco stated with a knowing smile, "I promise that the next time I'm on your bed it will be because you want me there…you've invited me there."

Hermione flushed at the implication, and lifted her head with dignity to look Malfoy directly in the eyes. She stretched out her arm and pointed to the door.

"Out. Now"

Draco good-naturedly rose and strolled leisurely, but with purpose, across the room. When he paused at the door, Hermione busied herself rummaging through the drawer in her bedside table in an attempt to dismiss him, both from the room and her mind.

When he called her name though, she had to look up at him. What she didn't realise was that the position of leaning over the bedside table pushed her breasts up, and Draco could just see the cleavage-forming tops of the rounded mounds. He waited until she was looking into his eyes. He paused for a moment as they just stared at each other, invisible threads connecting them across the room. Then he spoke.

"Trust me, you will invite me."

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A/N: Well, wasn't that fun! J And longer than usual too! I'm not sure about that chapter. I might change it, but in the meantime I'll put it up for y'all. If I do decide to change it I'll let you know.

Meantime, below is a list of the songs I listened to while writing this, just in case you're interested.

Let Go, by Avril Lavigne, especially 

-I'm With You

-Unwanted

-Anything But Ordinary

-Things I'll Never Say

-Nobody's Fool

Golden Years, by David Bowie (you know, that song in A Knight's tale where Heath Ledger makes up the dance at that dinner thing) Laundry Service, by Shakira, especially 

-Objection (Tango)

-Underneath Your Clothes

-Rules

-Fool 


	8. do whatever the hell you want as long as...

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Disclaimer: I don't own anything! *sob sob sob* 

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A/N: Okay people, for starters, we're about to do some major shifting in Hermione's background to fit in with a later part in the story. So now Hermione grew up in Australia. The details will be in one of her conversations with Draco later. Now, for next starters I changed a little something in chapter 6 to fit in with the next bit of the story. So instead of Hermione waking up because there was a lot of sun coming through the window, she woke up because there was a very cold breeze blowing through the open window, 'kay? Next things next, it's 20 past 10 at night & I was out last night & didn't get in until 11:30 this morning, & I only got about 3 hours sleep in that space of time, so I'm very tired & probably won't make a lot of sense with spelling & everything this chapter. So, sorry about that. Okay…here goes…

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Chapter 8

Hermione stared out the door after Malfoy. She was speechless, and if that wasn't enough, she couldn't think of anything to say! (**A/N**: tee hee, sorry about that, I couldn't help myself) There wasn't a single thought running around in here head that wasn't oriented around Malfoy, and that was even more confusing. Especially when she considered the surge of hurt and bitterness that had swept through her when he'd told her that he was only trying to win that stupid bet of theirs. And what was with that too? Why the hell had she agreed to such a stupid thing? It was almost as if she'd invited Malfoy to seduce her. Which, Hermione supposed, she had technically. But why did she want Malfoy to seduce her? It wasn't as if he was actually a nice person. In fact he was nearly downright evil. And she didn't even like him! He certainly didn't like her; she knew that for sure. So why was all this happening? _Oh, bugger this_, thought Hermione, looking out to where the sky was grey and stormy. _I need a long hot bath_.

As Hermione made her way downstairs to the kitchen, she walked past the long "window hall". Basically, one of the corridors in the house was along an outside wall, and so Mr. and Mrs. Granger had put in large windows so that when they walked past they could look outside and see the beautiful scenery. They weren't done tastelessly, as some people may have had them done; rather, they fit in perfectly with the rest of the house, having big wooden window seats attached to them. Normally, Hermione loved to walk along here, and half the time she even stopped and spent forever just sitting on the benches looking out, and had had to be called quite severely to meals more than once.

Today however, she stared at them as if they were the Grim Reaper come to take her to visit her maker. Through them all she could see was dark grey sky and rain. Which meant she had to stay inside until the rain let up. And by the sounds of it, that wasn't going to be happening anytime soon. Which meant she had to put up with Malfoy. And Malfoy on a normal day was bad enough; but Malfoy on a rainy day when she couldn't escape him and he was bent on tempting her into his bed would be pure and absolute torture. 

And so when Hermione finally reached the kitchen she was not in the best of moods. By the time she got there, as well as having discovered the rain, she'd nearly tripped going down the stairs to the main part of the house, and she'd run into a Mister Draco Malfoy as he was coming out of a downstairs bathroom. And the worst part about the morning so far was that he looked hot. Way hot. Which was not a good thing to be thinking as far as Hermione was concerned.

So when Hermione's mother told her at breakfast that she and Mrs. Malfoy were going to drive to the next town to look at galleries, Hermione was not a very happy little vegemite.

"But _why_? I mean, I like galleries as much as the next person, but couldn't you at least go to one that I haven't seen a million times before so that I could go with you?"

"Hermione dearest, _you_ may have seen the galleries in Shaftesbury many times over, but Narcissa hasn't seen them at all, and there is that darling little wood sculpture I wanted to show her. You know, the one beside that big Botticelli in the window room?" 

"Yes I know. But…what am I supposed to do then?" Hermione complained.

"Well dear," said Mrs. Granger with a twinkle in her eye, "you could –shock, horror- spend the day with Draco. He is such a darling boy, and so well behaved too."

Hermione looked across the table to where Draco was sitting and trying to look innocent, but with a big smirk on his face at the same time. "I'd rather rot."

"Oh well dear, it is your choice of course. We're leaving straight after breakfast, and Draco has chosen not to come with us, so I hope you two have a good day, and try not to kill each other in the process," said Mrs. Granger as she got up from the table and picked up her plate. "Ta ta, we'll see you this evening." 

After their mothers had left, Hermione looked across the table to where Malfoy was sitting, pretending to be absorbed in reading a muggle comic book, but not comprehending all the politically based jokes. "Well, I don't intent to sit here all day and watch you pretend you understand that book, so I'll be off. Stack your dishes in the dishwasher in the kitchen when you decide to get up."

Malfoy looked up at her, momentarily confused. "Dish-washer? Come again?"

"The dishwasher? You know, the thing you put your dirty dishes in and it cleans them?"

"Granger, much as you might hate it, I've lived with a whole bunch of house elves for my entire life. I wouldn't know a dishwasher if it jumped out in front of me and handed me the Golden Snitch."

Hermione looked at Draco in frustration. "Okay then, follow me. You're about to get your first lesson in muggle dish cleaning."

Walking over to the dishwasher (the breakfast table was at one end of the kitchen), Hermione bent over and opened it. "Okay, step number one, open the door." Draco threw her a dirty look, to which she responded with an innocent smile. "There are two racks, top and bottom. Glasses and mugs et cetera go in the top rack upside down, like so." Hermione pulled out the top rack and demonstrated by putting in her juice glass. Draco followed suit, and then moved to pull open the bottom drawer, but Hermione stopped him. "Rule number one, never open both drawers at once, because then the front is too heavy and the dishwasher tips over. And yes, I did find that out through experience," she added with a small smile in Draco's direction. To her surprise he responded with a grin. That scared her – a lot.

"Okay now, plates, bowls and cutlery go in the bottom draw. Cutlery in the little basket," she said, indicating said basket, "handles down, or else the fork prongs slip through the holes. The rows for plates and stuff are spilt into two and so you put the stuff in so it faces the middle. Bowls in the middle, then small plates, then big ones." Hermione drew a deep breath. Sure she could talk a lot, but this was getting mighty tiring. "The dishwasher's full, as you can tell by the fact that we got the last two spaces for our plates, so now comes the fun part." 

Draco looked at Hermione unconvinced.

"Well okay, maybe not really fun, but it's more fun than the rest of it." Catching the look Draco was sending her, which now conveyed thoughts that she was crazy, she wrapped up her little talk. "Detergent is kept under the sink. You pour it into this little dish," she indicated the detergent holder, "up to the little line, then close the little lid. Close the dishwasher, then press the little button that says 'economy cycle', then the 'on' button. And voila," she said as the dishwasher began to make watery noises. 

"Hmm…okay…I think that –crazy and confusing as your explanation was- I actually get that," said Draco in surprise.

"Fantastic, because now I won't have to do it for you. And on that note, I'll see you later." Hermione started to walk out of the kitchen and down the hall before Draco called her back. Popping her head around the corner, "What?"

"Well…what am I supposed to do?" 

"I don't know…didn't you bring anything to study with you?" 

Draco's look said it all. _Apparently not_.

"Okay then, well… the study's in the third door on the right when you go down the right hand corridor from the front hall. There are books in there and not just school books, but reading books too. On everything, trust me. And in one of the cupboards there's paper, pencils and paints and everything if you draw or paint or whatever. And you know where the entertainment room is. So have fun. Knock yourself out. You can use whatever's in the fridge, freezer and cupboards for lunch. Bye" And then she turned around, and walked back out the door, down the hallway and disappeared from sight.

*****

_Oh great. This is just fine and dandy_. "What can I do Hermione?" He mimicked himself and then added Hermione's voice to the conversation. "You can do whatever you want as long as you stay the hell away from me, Malfoy." Well, he wasn't anxious to get lost again, so a movie in the entertainment room sounded good, if he could remember how to work the stupid machine. Honestly, with all these buttons and everything, muggles really needed to put written instructions on everything.

An hour later, Draco was deeply immersed in the story of some American called Rick, and a quite pretty girl called Evie as they tried to kill a mummy called Imotep that they had mistakenly called back to life. And if he finished this one and liked it, the sequel was in the drawer and was just waiting to be watched.

Two and a quarter hours after that, Draco's head finally decided it was time for lunch. His stomach had been telling him that for the past half hour, but he'd been too wrapped up in (yup, you guessed it) the sequel to the first movie. In this one, Evie and Rick's son had been kidnapped by the re-re-risen mummy Imotep and they were chasing after them and trying to get him back. 

So, the moral to the story is he was hungry. Pausing the video at the end of a scene, he strolled out to the kitchen to find himself some lunch. Never having actually made himself a meal before, the experience promised to be enlightening. With visions of horribly burnt meals dancing through his head, Draco bravely entered the kitchen, a domain he'd never before entered with the intention of actually making himself something.

When he opened the refrigerator though, he found a plate with cling wrap over it and a note with his name on it pinned to the cling wrap. Carefully removing the plate from the fridge, he placed it on the bench and the read the note.

Malfoy,

I took pity on you when I remembered that you've never cooked before. It's called a sandwich. Unfortunately we don't keep pumpkin juice or butterbeer on tap here, but there's coke and lemonade in the fridge, so pick one. Or you could just mix them together & drink what you get from that. Quite tasty actually. Anyway, there's tea, coffee and Milo in the cupboard above the stove.

Hermione

Draco took off the cling wrap and then inspected the fillings on the sandwich. And laughed. "Peanut butter and sprinkles???" Not exactly gourmet, but its not as if he'd be able to make anything better, and he supposed he should be grateful to Hermione for at least making the sandwich for him.

Grabbing a can of lemonade from the fridge (he wasn't brave enough to try mixing it with coke – who knew what might happen?) Draco returned to the entertainment room, unpaused the video, and re-immersed himself in the story of Rick and Evie.

*****

Hermione was bored out of her mind. She'd tried to do some homework, but for the first time in her life she couldn't concentrate on it to save her life. She'd then tried to read, but as much as she loved her romance novels, she wasn't really in the mood to read one that she'd already read before a million times. So there went that idea. Next she'd gone down to her studio and started to cut out the materials she needed to build the cabinet she'd designed during the term, but she couldn't get into that either. 

Finally it was lunchtime, and out of sheer boredom she'd made Dra- Malfoy's lunch as well in an attempt to waste time. She would have given nearly anything to have seen his face when he realised what was on the sandwich, but that would have defeated the purpose of avoiding him, so instead she'd fixed her own lunch and retreated to her room for attempt two at reading. This time, she tried one of Meg Cabot's recent books, which usually captured her interest immediately. But not this time. She just couldn't concentrate.

There was only one thing left she could think of to do. Watch TV. Which was exactly what Malfoy was doing. _Well, I suppose it won't be so bad if I just sit there and ignore him_. And that was how Hermione came to be standing in the doorway of the entertainment room, watching both the movie and the back of Draco's head. She was wondering where to sit (there was only one couch facing the TV and Draco was on it) when, as if sensing that she was there by ESP, Draco turned around and looked at her.

"Are you going to sit down or what? Because you just standing there is starting to piss me off." Draco looked straight into her eyes, and for a moment Hermione blushed before she remembered that she was in her own house, and could stand if she wanted to. But she didn't.

"Okay, okay. Shove over will you?" Hermione sat down on the opposite end of the couch to Malfoy, and curled her feet up beside her. She soon became engrossed in the movie as well.

*****

Throughout the rest of the movie, Draco watched as Hermione laughed when Evie's brother did or said something silly, buried her face in her knees when someone came to a not-so-nice end and nearly cried alongside Rick when Evie died. It was at that point when Draco moved closer to her –unable to watch tears make there way down her cheeks and not do anything-, wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his chest, surprised when she complied wordlessly.

They sat like that for the rest of the movie, with Hermione sighing with relief when Evie's son brought her back to life, and tightening her grip on his arms during the final fight scene. But it was at the very end of the movie that Draco finally drew Hermione's attention back to him. It was when they'd all been rescued from the self-destructing pyramid, and they were safe again. It was when Evie promised to show her husband what Heaven was like, and Rick bent down and kissed her. 

It was then that Draco noticed the look of longing in Hermione's eyes, and gently tipped her head up so that she was looking at him. Her eyes revealed her surprise as he lowered his lips to hers, but there was none of the objection in them that he had come to expect. As he gently nibbled on Hermione's bottom lip, her lips parted slowly and allowed him access to the hidden depths of her mouth. Drawing her closer still against him, Draco groaned softly against Hermione's lips as she brought her hands up to rest at the nape of his neck and started to lightly play with the hair there.

* * *

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A/N: oooooooooooooooooh aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah *sighs* I wish…. Unfortunately I don't think I'm going to be kissed like that in the foreseeable future. In fact… I don't think I'm going to get kissed at all in the foreseeable future *sighs* oh well…I hope you liked that chapter.


	9. you wouldn't happen to be ticklish now, ...

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Disclaimer: for the last time, I DON'T OWN ANYTHING except the story line

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A/N: Oh my goodness gracious me! Two chapters in one day! Well…actually it was going to be one long chapter, but when I started getting to seven pages I decided to split it into two chapters. Hope you like.

Chapter 9

Pulling back slightly to get some air, Draco leaned his forehead against Hermione's and opened his eyes. He watched as she opened hers as well, and saw the confusion there. 

"Draco… we shouldn't… I mean, we don't even like each other."

Draco tipped Hermione's head back up to him as she started to look down. "I like you."

Hermione looked up at him uncertainly. "You do?"

"Yep." Draco watched as a smile grew slowly on Hermione's face, and then felt an uneasiness pass through him as the smile turned back into a look of confusion. 

"But…we still can't. I mean, how do I know if I can trust you? I don't even know you. Not properly."

"Relax Hermione," Draco reassured her, "I'm not asking you to marry me. I just want to be friends."

__

And that's all I want. Even then it's only so that I can seduce you. That's the only reason. It has to be. She's a muggle- it can't be anything else. Draco's thoughts though were unheard by Hermione, and slowly the smile returned to her face.

"Okay friend, I was bored as all hell before I came down here, and I have a feeling that if I leave I will be again. So…do you know how to play cards?"

"Exploding snap? Come on Hermione, you're seventeen and you still play snap?"

"As a matter of fact I do. It does wonders to de-stress me. Okay, I admit…a hot bath and a full body massa-," Hermione caught the look of interest on Draco's face and quickly halted her train of speech. "But you really didn't need to know that. Anyway, I wasn't talking about playing Exploding Snap, I was talking about playing with normal cards –the muggle way."

"I don't know how to play muggle cards though. Hell, I can only just play snap."

"That's okay. I'll teach you, it's easy. And with these cards they won't jump up at you, so you can take as long as you want to play. Come on…pretty please with sugar on top?" Hermione battered her eyelashes crazily and looked up at Draco beguilingly.

"Oh alright. If you insist. But you better let me win at least once or my poor male ego won't be able to take it anymore and I'll have an emotional breakdown." 

Hermione laughed and threw her arms around Draco, surprising him. "Thank you, thank you, thank you. Okay, you sit here, I'll go & get the cards and m & m's." she got up and crossed the room to one of the cupboard along the wall and pulled out a deck of cards with a plain white cardboard case.

"m & m's?"

"Yup. This is gonna be serious. We're playing for m & m's." Hermione grinned and tossed him the cards. "Start shuffling while I get the m & m's" She then walked out of the room and headed for the kitchen.

But Draco didn't get further than pulling the cards out of their box before an overwhelming surge of something he desperately hoped wasn't jealousy overthrew him. On the back of the cards, instead of the usual designs such as pictures of tropical islands or swirly blue or red lines, there was a photograph of Hermione laughing. But not just Hermione. Standing next to her with his arm around her and laughing along with her was a guy. But not just any guy… it was Weasley. 

They were all dressed up, not in dress robes, but in muggle clothes. Hermione had on a baby pink dress with tiny spaghetti straps and a v-shaped neckline that showed a considerable –but decent- amount of cleavage. The dress curved closely over her breasts, stomach and waist, and then flared out slightly over her hips and down to the middle of her calves and had some see-through material the same colour as the dress sticking out the bottom. What was it called? Tulle. She had delicate black high heeled sandals on her feet, and her hair was pulled back up to her crown and was all curly. Not frizzy curly like it used to be, but beautiful sleek, shiny curls. She looked stunning.

And even Weasley had managed to scrub up pretty good –he didn't even have any dirt on his face. His hair was all spiky, and he had on a tux. And a pretty decent looking one at that_. Wonder which kid they sold to get him that_? 

It wasn't the fact that Hermione was with another guy that rankled. It wasn't even the fact that it was Weasley, who wouldn't ever be good enough for her. What really pissed him off was the fact that Weasley had his arm around Hermione's shoulders, her hand was holding onto the one of his that was over her shoulder, and her head was tilted to look up at him as they laughed. And they looked happy. Very happy. And to cap it all off, there was love shining out of Weasley's eyes like a beacon that even Draco could pick up on.

Hermione walked back into the room with the m & m's on a tray and found Draco giving the cards death glares. "Draco? What's the matter?" Then she caught sight of the deck of cards she'd handed him. "Oh."

"When was this taken?"

"Last holidays…remember how Harry, Ron, Ginny and I went home? Yeah…well… It was Ginny's sixteenth birthday last holidays and Molly wanted her go in a debutante ball. So Harry agreed to escort Ginny, and so they figured Ron and I could go together. There's a deck in the cupboard somewhere with Harry and Ginny on them." Hermione sat down next to him and placed the tray between them, then started to divide up the m & m's into two little bowls. 

"I though you said the thing with Ron ended ages ago?" Draco turned the statement into a question.

"It did." Hermione started to deal out the cards.

"But… the picture. You both look so…happy."

"We were laughing. Harry was in the next photo booth along complaining. He said that he'd rather spend five hours cleaning the trophy room for Filch than wear a tux again in this lifetime. Then Ginny said that if he didn't smile for the camera and look like he was having a good time, his exit from this life could be arranged soon. So yes, we were laughing. But it didn't mean anything. I told you, we're just friends." 

"Okay…if you say so…now," Draco looked confusedly at the cards in front of him, "what are we playing, and how do we play?" 

"Okay, well…the game's called Red Tulip, and this is how you play… " Hermione started to explain the game to Draco, and in ten minutes time they were ready to start playing properly. "Just let me put some music on so I can think, and then we'll get started for real."

"You're putting on music to help you think?"

"Yeah. Do you mind The Panel?"

"Who?"

"It's the soundtrack for an Aussie TV show."

"Okay…but how did you get it if it's an Australian thing?"

"I used to live there, and one of my friends sent it to me for my last birthday."

"Oh."

"Okay," said Hermione, sitting back down in front of Draco and starting to deal out the cards. "Let's play. Each game is worth 5 m & m's."

As they played, Draco watched Hermione, and noticed that when it was her turn, she'd sing along to the CD while she was deciding which card to place down_. Weird, I suppose she really does concentrate better with music on_. But when they were nearly finished the second game, Hermione started to sing along to a song that gave him the creeps.

_'Cos when it comes to dying / I'm not frightened_

I've been to hell and I've seen the truth

So when it comes to dying / I'm not lying

I only know that this much is true

I'm gonna miss you'

"Okay, I'm glad that you'll miss me when you die, but still, that's seriously morbid Hermione."

Hermione looked up from her cards at Draco and blushed. "Oh, sorry. Can't help it. I just sing what they sing."

Fifty minutes later Draco realised that Hermione was once again singing along to a depressing song. And since it was still raining, he didn't really feel like listening to depressing music.

_'I don't listen to the radio / last time it made me cry_

Two boys went crazy / fifteen kids died

And I don't know their families / I don't ask them how they're goin'

They're on the other side of the world / but it's way to close to home

Got something to say / I thought it might be worth a mention

If you're not pissed off at the world /then you're just not payin' attention 

You can turn off the TV / go about your day

Just because you don't see it / doesn't mean it's gone away'

"Okay, that's it. This is entirely too depressing. Pick another CD Hermione, or I will."

"Fine then," Hermione answered back, "be my guest."

"I will." Draco walked over to where the Grangers' kept their CDs, and picked out one that was the soundtrack to a movie he remembered muggles being absolutely crazy about a couple of years ago.

"Moulin Rouge! Oh I love that soundtrack, it's fantastic."

"Is it depressing?"

Hermione laughed. "Not by a long shot. Put it on."

Ten minutes later, a quarter of the m & m's had been "secretly" eaten, and Hermione had most of the ones left, leaving Draco with about a dozen. They spent most of the time laughing, as Draco had continuously had to pick up the pack, and at one stage had lost eight games in a row. Draco had just had to pick up the pack for the fifth time that game, and Hermione was down to her last two cards when Draco decided he'd had enough.

"I give up! I forfeit! Whatever you want to call it! I refuse to submit to this humiliation anymore…it's humiliating!"

Hermione looked up at him and burst out laughing at the mutinous look on his face.

"Ohhh, poor baby. Can't handle the heat, eh? Oh well," Hermione said as a new track started on the CD, "I suppose that's okay. I'm getting tired of this anyway. Here, have my m & m's, I certainly don't need them." Hermione patted her hips and then tipped her chocolates into Draco's bowl.

Draco looked at Hermione in consternation. "You're not dieting are you? Because you don't need to, and I hear it can be really bad for you. My cousin did once and she got really sick and was in hospital for ages…anorexia I think. So…you're not are you?"

"Don't worry, I'm not about to keel over from not eating. I'm not dieting either. I'm just… not eating tonnes and tonnes more than I need to anymore."

"Well okay…if you're sure…"

"I am. Come on, it's a Sunday, so Mum'll be making a roast for dinner, so we don't need to help with that, but we can probably make something to have for desert."

"I can't cook Hermione, you know that."

"Yes, but I can, so if you don't do anything I don't tell you too, we should be fine."

Draco looked at her doubtfully.

"I promise! I've never had any disasters in the kitchen yet, and I don't expect to ruin my reputation… especially with a Slytherin," she added, deliberately provoking him so that he would agree to help her.

"Hey! Just because I'm a Slytherin doesn't mean I can't cook!"

"Sure it doesn't…by the way," she said, moving quickly to the door, "last one there's a Blast-Ended Skrewt!" Hermione then took off, sprinting through the house towards the kitchen, and only just making it there before Malfoy did. She quickly scanned her favourite recipes, and then decided what they were going to make.

"Apple crumble? Are you sure we can do that? Look at the picture, it looks pretty complicated."

"Nonsense. It's easy really. Now put an apron on-

"An apron!"

"- and wash your hands, then go to the fridge and get me five green apples…" Hermione took charge, and soon they were measuring and pouring and mixing and having a lot of laughs at the same time as Draco somehow managed to screw up every task Hermione set him. But the incident that sent Hermione rolling on the floor in laughter was when he dropped the cup holding the flour onto the bench and it spilt all over him, making him look like someone's bad attempt at a ghost. Hermione tried to placate him when he scowled at her antics.

"I'm…sorry...it's just …you look… so funny…" laughing uncontrollably, Hermione rolled about on the floor, but stopped in surprise when she felt a light powder come to rest on her head.

"Hey! That's my hair!"

"Well, well, well," said Draco with a smug smile, "look who's not laughing anymore. Not so funny when it happens to you, is it?"

"Why you…" Hermione leapt up from the floor and dug her hand into the flour bag and then threw some across the room at Draco.

"That was not very nice, Miss Granger."

Hermione grinned at him. "I know." She then started to back away as Draco advanced towards her.

"Which means you'll pay for that…So, Miss Hermione," he said conversationally, "would you happen to be ticklish?"

Hermione froze as she realised what that question meant. He was going to try and tickle her. "No," she said backing away quicker and quicker. "Oh no. No you don't." She turned to run, but wasn't fast enough as Draco nearly flew across the room and captured her around her waist.

"You're not? Now, why don't I believe you? We might have to just see if you're ticklish. I think that would be best, don't you?" As Hermione struggled, Draco tightened one arm around her waist –years of Quidditch giving him strength with which Hermione couldn't compete- and then rested the other one on her stomach, lightly tickling it. Within a minute he had Hermione wriggling and laughing hysterically in his arms. "Do you promise not to throw any more flour on me?"

"I promise…I promise…just…stop… tick.ling… me." 

Draco stopped tickling her and slowly turned her around to face him, still holding her in his arms. "Well at least I know how to make you do what I want now." Hermione looked at him in alarm.

"No fair. You can't use that against me. And you _especially_ can't tell anyone."

"Hmm…we'll see. Now, I think we should clean up this mess and finish making desert."

"Good idea."

*****

Later that night Hermione lay in bed and contemplated the day. What exactly had happened between her and Draco? And why hadn't she pulled back when he'd kissed her and told him not to do it again? _Sometimes I think that I'm the only person in the world who's gone through this. I wish someone would just tell me what to do. And while they're at it, perhaps they could tell me why I want Draco to kiss me again_.

* * *

A/N: Phew! It's taken me all weekend to write these last two chapters. Hope they were okay. The songs in this chapter were:

**paulmac** _featuring_ **Abby Dobson** Gonna Miss You and **Kasey Chambers **Ignorance 


	10. apologise, please

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Disclaimer: I DON"T OWN ANYTHING!!!!!

A/N: OMG chapter 10!!! I can't believe it – and I'm not very far along either…wow! Okay people, I'm so sorry about the big delay in this chapter, but I had end of semester assessment, & then exams & then I was banned from the computer, but I'm on holidays now, so hopefully it'll all start coming together soon. Okay…I have got my basic outline sorted out (only in my head though) so I know where we're going now. And…yeah…this might be changed to an R fic later if I decide to write a scene I'm thinking of writing. To people under 13…sorry…but u really shouldn't read it if it happens because you're supposed to be young and innocent and I'm sure your mummies and daddies wouldn't like it…so…be good everyone…

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Chapter 10

The next morning Hermione awoke to, not a grey rainy day, but a beautifully sunny day, with no clouds to be seen through the window. She did, however, wake once again to find a gorgeous young man, with silvery blond hair in her room. Sitting on her bed, with his fingers playing with her hair, gently pulling at him to wake her up. _Thank God I put pyjamas on last night_. " 's too early Malfoy, go away." She rolled onto her stomach and buried her face in her pillow.

"Nope, wake up sunshine, it's a beautiful day." Draco rolled her back over so that she was looking up at him.

"Grrr." She smiled up at him sleepily. "I thought I told you not to come in here again without asking me." 

"Couldn't help myself darling, you're just so irresistible." Draco hammed it up, messily placing kisses all over her hand, causing Hermione to laugh. She picked up her pillow from behind her head and hit Draco with it.

"Oooh…so it's a fight you want is it? Did a faery come along in the night and cure you of your ticklishness?"

Hermione looked at Draco mutinously and sat up, scrambling so that she was leaning against the window and facing Draco. "That's not fair."

"ALL is fair in love, war and tickling my dearest." 

"Seriously now Draco, get off my bed." Reluctantly he complied with her demand. "What are you doing here."

"Your mother sent me."

"My mother sent you up to my room? Uh-huh. Pull the other one." Hermione looked up at Draco disbelievingly.

"She did, I swear! We're going up the mountain today – that's why everyone's so early. Your mum wants to spend the whole day up there and so she sent me up to wake you while she packed food and the car and everything." 

Hermione finally noticed that instead of normal clothes, Draco had a pair of black ski pants and a black turtleneck sweater. He looked hot. Then she realised what he'd said. They were going up the mountain! Hermione jumped out of be quickly, causing Draco to take quite a couple of steps backwards. She started to dash around the room collecting clothes. It was when she was pulling her underwear out of a drawer and heard Draco's low whistle of approval at the hot pink items that she remembered his presence. Blushing furiously, she stuffed the bra and panties back in the drawer and ushered him out of the room.

Forty-five minutes later she emerged from the corridor leading to her room and made her way into the front hall. Though she had on only a pair of ski pants, a spencer and a long sleeved shirt, she carried a jumper, a ski jacket over her arm, as well as a bag over her shoulder that contained a beanie, gloves and numerous other odds and ends that teenage girls always carry on themselves. Years of going up the mountain had made her familiar with the clothing she would need, even if it were warm down the bottom. As she passed through the "window hall", she looked out to the scenery she loved so much. Going to France or some other exotic location for her holidays was fine occasionally, but there was no place she loved better than this house and the surrounding region.

Descending the main staircase and entering the front hall, she bumped into Malfoy, who was carrying a picnic basket towards the front door. "What's this, Malfoy? Actually carrying something heavier than your wand? Are you sure you can manage it? You don't want any help do you?"

Draco placed the basket down beside the front door, and turned, starting towards Hermione at a leisurely, unhurried pace. 

"I'll have you know, Granger, that I can lift something that you'll never be able to lift." He paused about half a metre away from her, and took her coat, sweater and bag from her, placing them carefully on the floor at the bottom of the staircase.

"Uh-huh. Yeah. Sure you can Malfoy."

"Oh I think I can. And you know what? I could carry it around this room many times over, and you couldn't even carry it once." Draco took a step closer to Hermione.

"And what is this mystery object that you can lift and I can't? Hey! What are you doing!?!?!?!" Hermione shrieked as Draco stepped right up to her and put one hand behind her knees and the other at the small of her back, picking her up effortlessly, despite the fact that her arms and legs were flailing everywhere.

"I believe this is called proving a point, dear Hermione. Now, how many times do you want me to carry you around the room?"

"None you dolt! Put me down this instant!" Hermione was still struggling and trying to break loose from Draco's arms.

"Stop struggling, or I'll drop you." Draco's voice sounded strained, and Hermione hoped it was because he was finding her too heavy. So she kept struggling. "Okay, you asked for it."

Draco hoisted Hermione over his shoulder in a fireman's hold, smacking her lightly on her backside once she was settled over his shoulder. This elicited a yelp of objection from Hermione, and a fresh bout of kicking and hitting.

"Let me down you great brute!"

"Not until you apologise, at least. Not used to lifting anything heavier than my wand, my foot. You forget that I play Quidditch, and that we train every day in the gym."

Despite hanging upside down, Hermione managed to reply. "I never understood why they put that stupid gymnasium in anyway, all it did was encourage the entire female population to spend half their days in there perving on the Quidditch players while pretending to be exercising on those stupid bikes or step machines."

Draco grinned, wondering whether Hermione was aware that the perving that occurred was entirely mutual, but that it only occurred outside the gym, for there were separate areas for the boys and the girls to train in. The change rooms were also single sex (surprise, surprise!) and there was a spell on each change room that was based on the spell used on the Tri-Wizard cup, and anyone that tried to enter the wrong change room would grow a very long beard - be they male or female. But Draco doubted that Hermione had ever set foot in the gym. 

"Come on missy, are you going to say sorry or am I going to have to lug you around like this all day?"

"Not sorry. You're a mean, spoiled, arrogant monster and I hate you. Now LET ME DOWN!" Hermione bellowed.

"Gee, 'Mione, why don't you say what you really think next time? But never mind. I happen to know that you don't hate me, AND that I can get you to apologise to me."

"Never."

Slowly Draco pulled Hermione back down so that he was holding her in front of him, tight up against him. "Oh yes, I can." Leaving one arm around her waist, he used the other hand to pull her head towards his, slowly and gently, leaving her enough time to resist. More than enough time.

Draco groaned softly as Hermione bit down gently on his lower lip, then soothed the hurt with her tongue, cleverly gaining access to his mouth while he had it open. Touching the tip of his tongue to hers, Draco reveled in the shivers that he felt rise on Hermione's back. Not fighting him any more, Hermione's arms rose around his neck and ensured that he was not breaking off the kiss anytime soon.

Draco tasted of minty toothpaste, with just a hint of chocolate from breakfast. _Chocolate with breakfast?_ Normally Hermione would have had ten kinds of reprimands for Draco about having chocolate that early in the morning, but with Draco's lips on hers…

Hermione lifted her head a fraction to take a deep breath, and then giggled as Draco drew her mouth back down to his urgently, recapturing it passionately. The two of them stood in their own world, exchanging another long kiss, interspersed with gentle nips and soothing suckles. 

Slowly and without either of them realising it Hermione had been lowered to the ground. Now though, Hermione realised it as she felt one of Draco's hands stroking up and down her side from her hip to just below her breast. His other hand was cupping the back of her neck, massaging it in a fashion that was eliciting shudders from Hermione.

"Draco? Hermione? Where are you? Are you ready to go?" The call came from outside the house, not next to the building, but somewhere close by. Immediately they leapt out of each other's arms, 'til they stood at least a metre apart. Hermione blushed as she met Draco's eyes, not so much embarrassed by nearly getting caught, but by the fact that Draco had managed to prove that she didn't hate him so easily. And he was about to ask her to confirm it, she was sure.

"Draco! Hermione! Come on!" 

Hermione quickly picked up her sweater jacket and back while Draco moved to the door and picked up the picnic basket. Hermione blushed once again as Draco held the door open for her in a gallant gesture reminiscent of decades gone by. As she walked across the hall and out the door, Hermione waited for Draco to ask her for her apology. But he didn't.

As she waited on the doorstep for him, walked down the bath beside him, and climbed into the car, as she settled herself beside him in the back seat, she waited for him to ask. But he didn't. Not once.

_Maybe all he wanted was to prove the point to me. Maybe he doesn't want to humiliate me at the same time_. 

~*~

The trip up the mountain passed quickly, with frequent exclamations from Mrs. Malfoy over the scenery and exuberant singing by Hermione, who had managed to sneak her own CDs into the car and had hidden her mother's under the driver's seat. 

The day also passed quickly. Hermione and her mother took the Malfoys on a walking track that circled the top of the mountain, and had been cleared of snow earlier that day. Though they had gotten separated along the track -the two mothers walked at a considerably slower pace than Draco and Hermione did- they met up again at the end, and wandered back to the car to have lunch.

After lunch the two mothers opted to walk the gently sloping, meandering road to the summit of the mountain while Draco and Hermione decided to make use of a nearby patch of snow to build a snowman. 

Their mothers soon disappeared around the corner of the curving road, and Hermione and Draco set to work on the snowman, discussing their plans for the school next year, and Hermione's fears about the upcoming NEWTs.

"I'm just worried, that's all. I mean, what with the responsibility of being Head Girl and all that, having to organise student events, is there going to be enough time to study? The OWLs were bad enough, and we were only prefects then, we didn't have all the responsibility organising the student body."

"Hermione," Draco placed his hands on her shoulders and shook her slightly," It'll all be okay. You're brilliant, you'll do just fine." Here he grinned. "Maybe not as well as me -ow! That hurt!- but anyway, why worry about it now? There's no point until school starts at least."

As they were putting the finishing touches onto the snowman, their mothers returned. Before getting back into the car, Mrs. Granger poured them all a hot drink and gave them a piece of cake, in case they were too tired to eat anything when they returned home.

Climbing back into the car, Draco was surprised when Hermione dragged him over to sit in the middle seat, rather than the side seat he had sat in on the journey up the mountain. Hermione wouldn't say why, and so Draco had to wonder inside his head. A quarter of and hour later Draco found out why he was sitting next to Hermione. On the descent of the mountain, instead of an upbeat CD, the music Hermione had requested was purely instrumental, and was making him sleepy. Apparently it had made Hermione sleepy too, because her eyes were closed, her head leaning back against the headrest.

A couple of seconds after he first registered that Hermione was asleep thiugh, Draco began to doubt whether she was actually asleep yet. This was because she leant towards _him (is she leaning towards me? No…couldn't be_.), and rested her head on his shoulder (_yes! She is! Oh, she's so nice and warm_.), nuzzling into his neck to find a comfortable niche (_I wonder…If I just slowwwly slip my arm behind her_), and then falling still.

Half an hour later Hermione's mother looked into her rearview mirror, and then nudged her friend. Through the mirror she could see Draco and Hermione curled up together, both fast asleep. "We were sooooooo right," she whispered to her friend with a grin.

~*~

Draco woke as they were pulling into the garage, and smiled down at Hermione. His arm was still around her, as it had been when he'd fallen asleep. But unlike when he'd fallen asleep, Hermione's arms were now around him, one behind his back and the other around the front of his waist. Her head was still nuzzled into his neck, and a small smile played about her lips as a breathy sigh escaped them. _Ooooh, she must be having a goooood dream_.

His mother turned around in her seat and smiled at him. "Have a good sleep?"

"Yep"

"I'm glad. Now, would you mind carrying Hermione up to her room? She looks so peaceful, I don't want to wake her. Then come downstairs and we'll give you some supper before you go to bed."

"Okay Mother, if you think."

Slowly Draco unbuckled his seatbelt and Hermione's, gathering her gently into his arms as best as he could without waking her. As he climbed out of the car he readjusted Hermione's weight so that he could carry her easily, and smiled again to himself as she nuzzled against him once more, placing her arms around his neck and burying her face in his neck.

Soon, he made it to the top of Hermione's stairs, and entered her room. He was breathing a little hard (hey, he climbed three sets of stairs carrying Hermione, after all), but that was nothing compared to when he realised that he couldn't put her in bed fully dressed. Making every effort to control himself, he set Hermione on her feet, holding her close to him so that she wouldn't fall over. 

He pulled the covers back on the bed, and lay Hermione down on her bed, lifting her legs so that they lay on the bed, but her feet did not. He gently pulled off her boots and her socks and placed them on the floor beside the bed.

Then, taking a deep breath, he lifted her hips high enough so that he could remove her ski pants. Gently pulling them down her legs, Draco admired her smooth, creamy skin, and cursed the fact that she was fast asleep, and was not participating willingly. Once they were off, he pulled the covers up over her legs to her waist, removing any temptation he felt.

Pulling her into a sitting position, Draco carefully pulled her top over her head, to reveal a utilitarian white singlet. It was what was under the singlet that spen up his breathing and his heart beat. Cupping Hermione's breasts was the scrap of hot pink that he'd seen her pull out of her drawer this morning.

"Okay, deep breaths. Cover her up, and get out of here as soon as possible and you'll be fine," Draco murmered to himself. But before he covered her, he couldn't resist dipping his fingers inside her singlet and caressing the smooth skin just along the cupline of her bra. "Perfect."

Lying her back down against her pillows, Draco forced himself to pull the covers over her. He bent over and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. Then he turned and walked to the door.

"Draco."

As he reached the door, Draco turned back to look at the bed at the sound of his name. Hermione's eyes were still closed though, and so he turned back to the door and stepped through it, closing it behind him. But he didn't close it quickly enough behind him, because he still managed to hear Hermione calling out to him again.

"I don't hate you at all. And I'm sorry."

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A/N: Well! That only took forever to write! Lalalala! Lotsa fluffy stuff! Please review! I know this chapter took ages and that I should have written quicker, but I promise that I'll write the next one quicker, if you'll all just review for me!


	11. yummy yummy icecream yes yummy icecrea...

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Disclaimer: I don't … *sob sob * … own … * sob sob * … anything … * sob sob * … except the storyline J 

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A/N: okaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay people! Chapter 11! yay! I'm getting very excited about this story! I keep having lots of ideas & lots more & I'm desperately trying to fit them all in. 

*********Please read** à ******* First things, everyone should know, **_this is the last chapter as PG-13_**, because H & D are getting a bit 'naughty' now, and so **_the rating is going up_**. The R rating does sort of apply to this chapter, but I wanted to tell you all that I was changing the rating before I actually did.

To _malfoyelf: _for starters thank u very much for reviewing, & secondly, I chose to make Hermione grow up in Australia because I _wanted_ her to! It doesn't have much to do with the plot line at all really except for a tiny non-important scene later, but I did want to get the CD The Panel in, so I decided that she could grow up in Australia. 

To Chris if he ever gets around to reading this, u said u liked the chapter when Draco accidentally found Hermione's bedroom (hehehe), well…I hope you liked the last chapter;) and many future chapters (more hehehe)

Well…on with the story…

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Chapter 11

A week later Hermione and Draco were watching (separate couches & lights on, sorry people) the Sunday Night Movie when the phone rang. About five minutes later Mrs. Granger popped her head into the room and held out the cordless phone, indicating that the caller wanted to talk to Hermione. Excusing herself, she traipsed to the door and took the phone off her mother, and then wandered off down the corridor into another room.

"Yes?"

"Hey, 'Mione, it's Jake."

"Jake! Hey, how are you?"

"Not too bad, and yourself?"

"Peachy keen, jelly bean."

"Hermione, have you been watching Grease again?"

"Well…maybe...okay, I have. It's on TV at the moment."

"Tut tut, I despair of you, missy."

"Oh, come on Jake, you know you love me."

"Can't help it I suppose, you're just such a lovable creature."

"Aren't I just." Hermione grinned cheekily, despite the fact that the boy on the other end of the line couldn't see it.

"Anyway, I was just calling to see if you want to continue our classes from last summer, you know, on Mondays?" Jake sounded uncertain, as if expecting Hermione to decline his offer.

"Are you kidding? I'd love to! I can't wait, in fact, I was going to call you tomorrow morning."

"Really?" Jake sounded considerably more cheerful. "That's fantastic. Do you want to come over about an hour earlier tomorrow, just so we can revise?"

"Sounds fine. Hey, is Ben still there?"

There was a pause at the end of the line, as if the answer was getting stuck in Jake's throat.

"Ben left." The answer was short and succinct; a quick answer for what was obviously a touchy subject.

"Oh, no. I'm sorry"

"Yeah, well. Not much you could do about that was there. He went to Wales over the Christmas break to see family and got a better offer apparently."

"Oh," Hermione decided it was time to make light of the situation. "So does this mean I'm going to have you all to myself for once?"

Jake laughed. "Yeah, just you, me, the music … and about half a dozen twelve-year-olds."

Hermione laughed, the sound spilling out of her throat effortlessly. "So who've you got working in the office this year? Another incompetent ditz?" 

"Nope. Not any more. Jacqui's back, and she's doing it for me in her spare time while she waits for her business in town to take off." 

Jake's information sent a sigh of relief throughout Hermione's body. She'd definitely had enough of the ditzy bimbos that Jake had previously had working for him. Not only had they been incapable of doing even the most basic office work, but they'd been bitchy to boot, and Hermione had felt very uncomfortable every time she'd had to go near them.

"Oh that's fantastic. But I didn't know that Jacqui had opened a store, what does she sell?"

"All the pretty dresses and bits and pieces to go under them that a girl could want. She said you should stop by soon, cos she's got some stuff she wants you to see."

"That's great, tell her I'll be in as soon as possible." Hermione jumped as the door creaked as it opened and her mother appeared holding two glasses with ice cream in them, indicating that they were for Hermione and Draco. "Oops, sorry, I've got to go, but I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yep, definitely." The answer was accompanied by the sound of the phone at the other end of the line being hung up.

Hermione turned to her mother and exchanged the two glasses for the phone. She smiled as she looked into the glasses, for one of them held a pile of vanilla ice-cream covered in lime flavoured topping and sprinkles; Hermione's favourite. 

"What did Jake want honey?"

"To know if I wanted to keep up with the classes from last summer."

"Oh that's wonderful, I hope you said yes. Jake's such a nice boy."

Hermione rolled her eyes. Her mother was always going on about what a nice, sweet, well-behaved boy Jake was. Hermione grinned to herself. If only her mother knew the truth about Jake. 

"Yep, I'm going over a bit earlier tomorrow, just to brush up on technique. Could you do me a favour though? Please don't tell Draco or his mum what I'm doing."

"Whatever for? It won't be very easy is you're going every week and then more as it gets towards the end of the summer."

"Oh, I don't know… tell them I'm going to the gym or something."

Hermione's mother raised her eyebrows, clearly wondering what was going on in her daughter's head. "Okay, I'll do it if you want me to, but I'm not happy about it. And Draco won't be either if he finds out that you're spending half of your time with a boy like Jake."

"What does it matter if Draco's happy about it or not? This is about me, not him."

"I've seen the way he looks at you. And the way you look at him sometimes."

Hermione blushed; embarrassed that her mother had caught onto the fact that she and Draco were attracted to each other. "He'll get over it. If you could do this for me I'll be so grateful."

"I will." Her mother spoke softly, looking at Hermione in a half disapproving, half loving way.

"Thank you. I'd better go though, cos this ice cream's starting to melt." Hermione leant over and kissed her mother on the cheek before exiting the study. As she walked back along the hall to the entertainment room she thought about her mother's words. 

Hermione was dead certain that Draco would absolutely hate her spending lots of time with Jake, which was exactly why she didn't want him to know. No matter how innocent things were with Jake –and they had always been that- guys tended to freak at the idea of their girlfriends spending prolonged periods of time with him

Of course, Hermione knew that her relationship with Draco –or any guy for that matter- was in no danger from Jake, and Jake had told her so last summer. But Hermione had promised not to tell anyone, and so there was no way she could help Draco to see that she and Jake weren't more than just friends.

She had also promised Jake that she'd be at his place tomorrow and every other Monday until the end of the summer. So the only option was not to tell Draco.

Entering the room where Draco was, she turned the overhead light off, leaving only the light of a small lamp, and placed both glasses on the coffee table beside the couch he was sitting on. Well, actually, lying was more like it. He was spread out over the length of the couch, his feet sticking over the end, as the couch was too short to accommodate his height. He was also fast asleep.

Turning off the television, she moved around to the end of the couch where Draco's head rested. Leaning over him, she gently pressed her lips to his, loving the goosebumps that arose on her skin at the touch. After a couple of seconds she felt Draco's lips begin to move against her own in response.

Completely wrapped up in the sensations she was experiencing, Hermione didn't register Draco's arms encompassing her waist until he had, in one swift motion, flipped her over so that she was lying on top of him, looking up at the ceiling. Which was when she started to tickle her. Giggling and wriggling about in an attempt to stop him, Hermione finally managed to roll herself over so that she was looking down into Draco's eyes.

He grinned up at her, despite the fact that she was trying to be serious and tell him off for tickling her. "Don't tickle me pleeeeeeease. You know how it makes me."

"Oh? How does it make you?"

"You know how. It makes me feel like doing whatever you want me to."

"Really? Well, I'll have to test that theory, now won't I?" Rearranging them so that Hermione was straddling his legs, he sat up and turned so that he was sitting on the couch normally. Except for the fact that Hermione was still straddling his lap.

Smiling at Hermione, Draco wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer still, until Hermione's legs were bent at the knees and folded underneath his arms, against the back of the couch. "I think that that has to be the best way in the world to wake up, bar none."

For the second time that evening, Hermione blushed. A small lamp in the corner, rather than an overhead light, was supplying the light in the room this time, and so the chances of Draco seeing the blush were severely diminished. _Thank God_. 

"Now about testing that theory…" Draco lightly tickled her stomach, but not enough to make her uncomfortable. This didn't last long though, as the smile across Hermione's soft lips was so tempting that he leant into capture it with his own. Sighing into Hermione's mouth, he tightened his arms around her, bringing her breasts flush up against his chest.

Her nipples peaked through her thin shirt against the textured fabric of Draco's shirt, and this time it was Hermione's turn to sigh. Draco's lips moved away from hers and started to roam over her face, caressing her cheekbone tenderly before moving onto the delicate skin of her earlobe. He gently nibbled at its unbroken skin, the sensation making Hermione glad that she'd never pierced her ears.

Draco's hands were stroking up and down her sides in time with the movement of her hands in his hair, a mix of massaging sensuality and playfully light touches. As he moved his mouth's attentions to the curve of her neck, he pulled back a bit, allowing his palms to slide up Hermione's stomach until his thumbs rested just below her breasts. Here he used those thumbs to caress back and forth with a firm touch.

As Draco's lips moved down to her collarbone, Hermione tilted her head back to allow him better access, while Draco traced his hands over her body more. One hand returned to its position at the small of her back, pulling her pelvis tight against his, letting her feel the stirring there. The fingertips of his other hand drew a path further up her sides and beneath her arms, until the tips rested on the skin beside her breast and his palm hovered over it.

Slowly –and without Hermione realising it, as Draco's lips had migrated back to hers and were rendering her senseless- Draco's hand descended and came to rest lightly on one of Hermione's breasts, his thumb rubbing over the hardened and distended tip, causing a pooling of sensation in it. Using the tip of his forefinger with his thumb, he teased and tormented the nipple, before giving it one last loving stroke and moving across to the other breast.

Minutes passed that could have been hours as far as Hermione was concerned, that much was she wrapped up in and drugged by the feelings Draco was eliciting in her body. When his hands started to slip beneath the hem of her shirt though and his lips started moving further south of her collarbone, alarm bells started to go off in her head. _What am I doing? A week ago I didn't even like this guy, and now I'm about to let him strip me? With Mum in the house too, and the door open! I must be crazy!_

"No, Draco, stop."

When she tried to pull his hands away, Draco groaned in complaint, but drew his hands away from her hips and his lips away from the valley between her breasts compliantly when she again asked him to stop. "What's wrong 'Mione?" The words were disjointed and accompanied by heavy breathing.

"I just…I'm not ready. A week ago we were hurling insults at each other… we don't even know each other properly. And both of our mothers are home… the door's open and everything."

Draco sighed and leaned his forehead against hers, closing his eyes as he tried to regain his composure and his control of his body. "You're right. I'm sorry. I got a bit carried away there, I suppose," here he pulled his head back and grinned at her. "But you're just Little Miss Temptation herself, aren't you? I noticed that you had trouble keeping your hands to yourself as well."

Once again Hermione blushed, but this time a grin and a short laugh acknowledging her weakness accompanied it instead of a desire that a hole in the floor open up and that she be sucked down into it. "Okay, you caught me out there. I just can't seem to keep my hands off your sexy body, you gorgeous boy, you." With this she pretended to swoon, and more giggles burst forth from her lips.

Draco laughed as well, happy that Hermione wasn't having fits of guilt over what had happened, or yelling at him and blaming him for it. It had happened to him before, a girl being pleased as punch to be sitting on his lap until he'd actually tried to touch some skin, and then all hell had broken loose. So to say that he was happy that Hermione was being so relaxed about it all was an understatement really.

"Well, I think it's time for me to go to bed," Hermione sated to no one in particular, as the laughter died down and she and Draco were left staring into each other's eyes. In response Draco perked up, looking at her in a suggestive way. "By myself, mister." Draco's shoulders drooped, and he bent his head as if sulking. It took Hermione a couple of seconds of this to realise that with Draco's head bent like that, the position she was in afforded him a perfect view down the front of her top.

"Hey, you. Get out of it." 

Draco raised his head and smiled at her beguilingly, as if to ask what the matter was. 

"As punishment for perving shamelessly," -at this Draco's mouth dropped open in mock protestation of his innocence -"you can take the glasses of melted ice cream to the kitchen. They were supposed to be for our dessert, but we got kind of busy," here a knowing smile appeared on Draco's lips, "and so we didn't eat it."

"One problem."

"What?"

"You're still sitting on my lap."

This time Hermione's blush reached all the way down her neck, flooding her with colour. Mortified, she quickly scrambled –most inelegantly- off Draco's lap and stood in front of her. Draco stood as well, and said goodnight to Hermione. Remembering how good he'd been about stopping when she'd asked him to, Hermione reached up and linked her arms around his neck, hugging him closely.

"Hey, hey, hey. This is what got us in trouble before."

Hermione grinned up at Draco, "But I just wanted to give you a hug goodnight…" 

"I'll give you a hug goodnight in a minute. If you don't leave this room right now, I'm going to give you a 'hug' that's going to last all night and well into tomorrow morning." He grinned and swatted her on her backside, pushing her towards the door.

As she reached the door Hermione turned back to look at Draco, who was still standing where she'd left him with a silly smile on his face. She grinned cheekily once again and blew him a kiss. "See you in the morning."

"You have two seconds to leave or, I swear, you'll be seeing me much earlier in the morning than you want to."

At this Hermione scampered out the door and away down the hallway, leaving Draco to collect the glasses and switch off the light.

Walking through the house up to her room Hermione thought about the night's occurrences. It had felt oh so right to be in Draco's arms like that, and it had taken all her willpower to pull back. She really hadn't been sure if she was ready to surrender her virginity just yet, and to Draco of all people! Not that there was anything wrong with Draco…it was just that he had such a reputation for getting around…and she…well…she'd only ever had two boyfriends, neither of whom had attempted to touch her in the way Draco had.

But oh, the temptation to give in to his ministrations and slip further into that other world of being had been so overwhelming, so all-encompassing. She'd never felt that sort of …_energy, I suppose_… with anyone before. 

__

Will I be able to find it again?

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A/N: Well, that was nice ;) In the next chapter we'll see more of D & H (duh!) and find out who the mysterious (not) Jake is … and what it actually is that he teaches Hermione (hehehe)


	12. addicted

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Disclaimer: I own nothing………..I am broke and destitute and unloved.

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A/N: FINALLY!!!! I'm very sorry everyone, but I had mental block for an entire semester, and just got inspiration today on the bus on the way home from school. And so I'm doing this on a laptop in my piano teacher's living room while my sister has her lesson and talk about major, minor and perfect chords. So much fun;). I finally have direction in my life (well, in my fanfic anyway). 

To malfoyelf: The bet between Hermione & Draco is still on, but they kinda forget about it, being so enamoured of each other and all. It will come back into the story in a little while, but I'm not going to tell you how as that is a state secret and if I told you I would have to kill you. J 

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Chapter 12

"So what's happening today?" Draco spread the general question to everyone at the breakfast table, but looked directly at Hermione, whose eyes suddenly developed a fondness for her vegemite on toast. (A/N: sorry to all non-Aussies, but I love my vegemiteJ ) 

At last, Mrs. Malfoy answered him. "Elspeth and I are having a stay at home day today," she smiled at her friend. "I think we're getting too old to go out every day. We thought we'd laze around this morning, and perhaps go for a walk this afternoon. So you two can do whatever you want… within reason of course," she smiled at Draco and Hermione.

Draco looked at Hermione again, this time forcing her to acknowledge him. "So, 'Mione?" 

"Hmm?" Hermione looked up at him, as though she had been daydreaming and had lost the plot of the conversation. Her eyes, though, betrayed her, their alertness a tell tale sign that she knew exactly what was going on. 

Draco patiently repeated the question.

"Oh, well…I…thought I'd go to the gym after lunch…get some exercise and all." Hermione developed small splodges of colour on the apples of her cheeks.

"The gym?" Draco looked at her in disbelief. "Since when do you go to the gym?"

Hermione decided to take refuge from Draco's skepticism by pretending outrage at his suggestion that she didn't exercise. "Some of us mere mortal non-Quidditch-playing people have to go to the gym to keep in shape, Malfoy. We're not born the way we are and we certainly don't stay like this without effort. And it's time I started making an effort again." 

Draco held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Okay, okay. I was just asking…Are you doing anything this morning though?"

Hermione sighed in relief at being able to answer honestly. "Absolutely nothing. I'm in your hands completely." 

Draco smirked at her, and she blushed, realising what she'd said. Quickly cramming the last bite of her toast into her mouth, Hermione stood at picked up her plate and glass, then took them into the kitchen. As she was bending over to place them in the dishwasher she felt someone lightly stroke her bottom, and she jumped in surprise. 

Her hips were pulled backwards as she stood up, so that when she was standing up straight her back was pressed up against the front of a hard male body. One hand held her abdomen tight against the other body, and the other rubbed firmly up and down her side, from the curve of her breast down to her hip and back up again. A pair of lips nuzzled at the side of her neck.

"Unless I'm very much mistaken, you happen to like being completely in my hands. Am I correct?"

Hermione broke out of her daze and started wriggling. "Draco!" she hissed. "Our mothers are in the next room, stop it!"

"Our mothers left to go and sit in the garden with their cups of tea and have a gossip. A very good idea, even if I did think of it myself." Draco's arms constricted around Hermione, holding her motionless, but still facing away from him. "And if you look out the window I think you should just be able to see them sitting in the deck chairs."

Hermione leant forward to peer out through the window, seeing at once her mother and Draco's sitting on deck chairs in the middle of the garden, laughing and enjoying the sunshine.

"Well…I suppose it wouldn't do any harm then to let you kiss me senseless for a couple of moments, would it?" She looked up at him beguilingly over her shoulder. "As long as you want to, of course."

Draco pulled her around to face him and then clamped one arm around her waist, pulling her up onto her toes so that her lips were almost level with his. He lowered his head and bit down gently on her earlobe, muttering to himself as much as to her, "Oh, I definitely want to." 

After what felt like eternity Draco's lips finally made it to Hermione's, crashing down with a passion that Hermione had not yet felt with Draco. She whimpered into his mouth and at the same time stuck one hand into the back pocket of his jeans -pulling his body closer to hers- and the other into his hair, where it reveled in the sensation of the thick golden locks.

As Draco plied Hermione's mouth with sensuous kisses he wondered about her plans for the afternoon. He had truly never seen Hermione in the gym at Hogwarts, and he pretty much knew all the people who used the gym from having spent so much time in there himself. He had some small memory of something about her walking around the school grounds, possibly yoga or something, but never anything about the gym.

As he ran his hands up and down Hermione's back he felt the taut muscles there quake under his fingers, and he pulled her even closer, if that were possible. She groaned, and he moved one of his hands to capture the back of her thigh, pulling her leg up and around his waist. Leaning her backwards he positioned her against the bench, and then lifted her other leg so that the two were linked around his waist.

Hermione lifted her mouth off Draco's, barely able to contain the shivers elicited by having her most secret place pressed up against the rapidly hardening bulge in Draco's pants. "Maybe more than a few moments." She lowered her mouth back to his.

*****

Hermione leaned into her cupboard and pulled out an old -but still good- pair of black heels, then stuffed them into a small tote bag along with a bottle of water and a small packet of jelly snakes. She had on a pair of black pedal pusher exercise pants and a red and white striped halter-neck top, and was preparing to leave to meet Jake.

Moving through the hallways to the front door, she sang to herself and added a skip to her step every so often. As confused as she was over her feeling towards Draco, she had to admit that he was a good kisser. _A very good kisser, come to think of it_, she thought devilishly. They'd spent a good quarter of an hour making out that morning, and though she'd kept his hands strictly outside her clothing and above her waist, her nipples still peaked at the thought of how he'd made them tingle. 

Draco was becoming more of an enigma to her every day. He'd gone from hating her with a passion to trying to get into her head, heart & -most of all- pants, with … well … a passion. He'd done a complete about face where she was concerned, and she just wasn't sure whether or not she could trust him. After all, you couldn't really change character that quickly - could you? 

She'd changed her opinion of him, hadn't she? Well. Sort of anyway. _Enough to consider giving him your virginity,_ spoke up a voice in her head. 

"But that's different." She told the voice. 

_How so?_

"It just is. I was never a mean-hearted, disgusting perverted creep for one thing."

"And just who, may I ask, is?" a voice inquired from behind her, causing Hermione to spin around.

"Oh, no one Mum, just talking to myself. Umm, are you ready to go?"

"Yes, but listen, are you sure you don't want to tell Draco about Jake?"

"Dead sure."

"Okay, but if this blows up in your face, don't say I didn't warn you." Mrs. Granger pulled her keys out of her pocket and pushed Hermione out the front door. 

*****

Draco wandered around the "cabin" without much purpose. He'd seen Hermione leaving with her mum, and by all accounts she looked as if she were going to the gym. Except for that halter-top of hers. It puzzled him. No one that he'd ever seen went to the gym in a halter-top. But she did have exercise pants and runners on. _Dammit to hell what's she doing? _

*****

Hermione, at the moment in time that Draco was wondering, was pulled tight into the arms of a young man with dark hair that fell across his eyes sometimes. Those eyes that were mentioned were a bottomless sea green. The mouth beneath them held a ready grin, and had a dimple at each corner. Jake Carstairs was indeed a handsome young man.

"Oh 'Mione it's so good to see you!" Jake squeezed Hermione extra tight as he said this, and then set her back on her feet. He smiled down at her, and Hermione smiled back.

"It's good to see you too Jake, it's been so long since last summer."

"Indeed it has. And the kids think so too, so get inside, missy, we've got to get you back in practice before they get here."

Hermione scampered inside with a grin and began to put on her heels.

Half an hour later, as boys and girls began to wander in pairs, Hermione was hot and sweaty and feeling great. Her eyes roved over the dozen 12 and 13 year olds present, and she smiled at each in turn, remembering them from the same group the summer before.

"All right everyone!" Jake called out, and the kids moved from where they'd been milling around the benches at the side of the room. "Welcome back, it's great to see that you've all decided to come back this summer. Now, I know how excited you've all been, since I've seen most of you during the year, so I won't keep you long. Just some housekeeping stuff. You all remember my partner, the lovely Hermione?" 

The boys and girls cheered and clapped as Jake spun her around and she curtsied gracefully for them. 

"For reasons unbeknown to me -maybe she actually likes you kids- she has agreed to help me again this year, so I want you all to be nice to her, and definitely no cracking on to her, young men!"

Hermione blushed as the boys called out disappointedly.

"What?"

"Why don't we just go now then?" 

"You're not serious."

"I am perfectly serious, as you all know. Spare both yourselves and Hermione the embarrassment. But that's just an official warning that Hermione's mum made me give you boys. I know you all better, and I know you'd treat any girl with respect, wouldn't you?"

"Yeah!"

"Sure would"

"Got that right!"

"So, my young ladies and gentleman-"

"Hey Jake," a dark haired girl with braces called out. "Where's Ben?"

Jake's face became blank for a moment, and then he replied with a succinct "Ben, unfortunately, will not be joining us this year. As I was saying, my young ladies and gentleman, welcome to your second nine week course in ballroom dancing!" Cheers echoed throughout the hall.

"As you all know, we'll be working towards getting you kids dancing perfectly so that you can show off to all your friends," here Jake grinned, "but also towards the concert at the end of the ninth week. So get out there in your pairs, and we'll start you off with a ward up of all the dances you did last summer to jog those rusty memories."

Jake moved over to a panel in the wall that had been pushed aside earlier, and restarted the CD that he and Hermione had been practicing to earlier. 

"Now, all these songs should be familiar as ones we danced to last summer, but even if they aren't you should all be sufficiently able to pick up the beat as one type of dance or another. Hermione and I will be walking around as you dance to see how you're all doing and if you're really stuck with what to do, just stand still and one of us will get to you."

Half an hour passed quickly as the kids warmed up, and Hermione enjoyed seeing how relatively well they had remembered the steps to even the more tricky dances. She watched them waltz, cha cha, jive, quickstep and foxtrot. The following two and a half hours passed in almost and instant as she and Jake guided them in the introductory steps of the tango. 

"Now ladies," Hermione called out as everyone was having a drink at the end of the session. "I'm sure many of you haven't done this much dancing in a while, and certainly not in your dance shoes. So, what I want you to do for me is wear your dance shoes -just around the house- for at least and hour or two each day. But wearing them while you're sitting down watching a movie doesn't count, so when you get up, or when you get home from shopping or whatever, put your heels on and just wear them. I don't care whether you cook in them, clean in them or talk on the phone in them. Just wear them. And if you get together with your partner to practice then wear them then as well.

"Anyway, that said, we'll see you all next week." She shooed them all out the door.

She and Jake closed up the hall for the night, and she smiled to herself as the sun sat low in the sky and bathed them in an orange light. She'd had a great time dancing today, and it amazed her how much she'd missed it. She loved the way you could just forget everything and dance, let the music flow through her and let her body move in time with the rhythm.

"Thanks for doing this again with me 'Mione." Jake turned to her after locking the front door and picked his bag up from the ground.

"Jake, please, I told you, it's fine. I love dancing, you know that." 

Yeah I know you love to dance, and you're fantastic at it too, but teaching twelve-year-olds to dance is a bit different. Anyway it's pretty hard to get a partner in the summer to help teach. So, just accept my thanks, okay?"

"Okay, if you insist. Listen, I have to go, there's my mum, but I'll see you same time Thursday, 'kay?"

"Yep, sure. And don't forget to go and see Jacqui."

"Will do." She stretched up and gave him a hug. "Bye"

"Bye"

Hermione pulled her water bottle out of her bag and walked quickly to the car, taking a mouthful of the cold water. She climbed into the car and leaned her head back on the headrest.

"So, how was it?"

"It was great!" Eyes closed, Hermione smiled. "I had the best time, seeing all those kids again, and it was fantastic to see how much they remembered. And seeing Jake again was great too. He's really doing well."

"Yes…" Elspeth sighed disapprovingly. 

"Mum, please don't start. I'm exhausted, and happy and I don't want to argue."

"Okay, okay."

Hermione hopped out of the car at the front door, leaving her mum to drive the car around the back and into the garage. As she walked through the door, Draco rushed to her, picked her up and spun her around. She laughed as she twirled through the air, and when she was set on her feet she looked up into Draco's eyes.

"What on earth was that for?"

Draco pulled her close and pressed a kiss to her lips. "I missed you."

Hermione laughed. "I've only been gone a couple of hours."

"Four hours to be exact. But the whole time I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep, and I just wandered about the house. Feel my forehead," he pulled her hand to rest there, "I think I have a fever."

"Oh my goodness!" Hermione played along with Draco's make-believe, wondering where it was leading. "Whatever could be the matter?"

"Typical withdrawal symptoms, so I'm told." He lowered his lips to rest against hers. "I think I'm addicted to you, sweet Hermione."

* * *

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A/N: yay!!!! Finally finished! I'm ever so sorry to everybody, and I feel so bad about taking so long. I promise that the next chap. won't take nearly so long. I swear it.


	13. tell him

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Disclaimer: blah blah blah blah blah I don't own the characters, only the storyline

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A/N: oh my god I had no idea it would take me this long to sit down and write another chapter, I'm so sorry to you all. I have no school for 4 weeks though now, so I'm going to try and write heaps more. Oh, and to anyone who wants to argue about the actual year –according to when J.K. published the first book- when Hermione and Draco would have been entering 7th year, and the fact that the songs wouldn't have been released then, please, don't. If you don't like that, don't read it. I'm putting them in my own time frame, so you can go take a long walk off a short pier as far as I'm concerned J So, here goes chapter 13!

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Chapter 13

Hermione's smile spread from her lips –pressed against Draco's- right up to her eyes. Small tremors ran through her body as she considered what Draco had said. Addicted to her, hmm? Well, she could live with that. Yes, as a matter of fact she could live with that very happily. As she considered the word 'addicted' a thought blossomed in her mind, and she pulled back from Draco's drugging kisses.

She pushed up on tiptoes to reach her mouth beside Draco's ear and whispered to him. "Follow me in a minute or two."

Draco stood still in the front hall for a couple of seconds, dazedly staring after Hermione. He'd been lost in their kisses when she'd pulled away, his thoughts filled with nothing but the desire to hold her and kiss her and love her – _hang on a sec. Love her? I don't love her! She's just … Hermione. She's beautiful and she makes me laugh, and I'd be quite content to spend, well, at least the rest of the holidays, with my lips on hers and my hands covering her body. But love? I'm a Malfoy. I don't do love. At all._ _It's just how we're made. We're not programmed to care for anything. And I'm a Malfoy through and through._

Am I_?_ The part of his brain not focussed on being loyal to his family asked. I mean, can I really see Father or anyone else going anywhere near a muggle-born? God, I can't even bring myself to call her a mudblood in my head, let alone to her face any more.

__

Well, either way, it's not as if I personally do love. I don't, I can't. Draco smirked. _But I _can_ do lust awfully well._ He followed Hermione's path through the house, and stepped into the entertainment room just as music started to pour out of the speakers. Hermione was up on the stage with her back to him, fiddling with the controls of the karaoke system, rolling her hips in time with the seductive introductory beats of the music.

__

"Baby, can't you see  
I'm calling  
A guy like you  
Should wear a warning  
It's dangerous  
I'm fallin'  
  
There's no escape  
I can't hide  
I need a hit  
Baby, give me it  
You're dangerous" - Hermione winked at Draco as she sang the line._  
"I'm lovin' it  
  
Too high  
Can't come down  
Losing my head  
Spinning 'round and 'round  
Do you feel me now"_

Hermione walked over to where Draco was seated on a dining chair, and placed her fingers on his lips.

_  
  
"With a taste of your lips  
I'm on a ride  
You're toxic  
I'm slipping under  
With a taste of poison paradise  
I'm addicted to you  
Don't you know that you're toxic  
And I love what you do  
Don't you know that you're toxic."_

Draco smirked in his usual style as Hermione finished the song. _Well, at least the feeling's mutual._ Relieved that he hadn't embarrassed himself by admitting how much he wanted her, he reached out to pull her onto his lap when she blushed, smiled and did a short curtsy at the end of the song. With her back pressed against his chest, Draco could feel the entire length of her body pressed against him. With his arms wrapped around her waist and resting just below her breasts, Draco took a deep breath, inhaling Hermione's scent as if it was the last time he'd smell it.

"Hey, hey, hey. You're going to explode if you take in that much oxygen at once." Hermione turned around to smile at him, but was surprised when a look of alarm crossed Draco's face.

"You're joking, right?" Draco looked at her anxiously.

Hermione laughed and twisted her body around to face him. She cupped his face with her hands, "Of course I'm joking, silly. Honestly, did they teach you nothing before you came to Hogwarts?!"

"Of course they did!" Draco cried out indignantly. Then his expression became playful. "I've learnt a lot of stuff that I wasn't taught by the professors. Shall I demonstrate?"

Hermione giggled as she realised what he was referring to. "I believe a limited demonstration may be in order, yes."

As Hermione lay in bed that night she wondered whether she should tell Draco about Jake. She knew he'd get mad if he found out about the dancing, but at the same time, she knew that if she told Draco he wouldn't want her to go and spend a couple of hours a week with Jake. Hermione smiled, _and who could blame him? Jake _is_ gorgeous, plus he's smart and funny and clever. I'd hate to have to compete with him._

Still unsure about what to do, Hermione drifted into sleep.

A couple of weeks later, Hermione found herself talking to Jake about Draco after a class. She poured her heart out to Jake - told him the whole story, and about her dilemma over whether or not to tell Draco about the dancing.

"You didn't tell him?" Jake looked at her incredulously.

Hermione looked down at her fingers, twisted in her lap. "I just… couldn't." She reached a hand up to brush Jake's hair out of his eyes, and left her hand cupping his head. "You know how guys get about their girlfriends spending time with you. They..." she dropped her hand and tried to think of a way to put it delicately.

"They're afraid I'll steal off with their ladyloves and seduce them?" Jake asked wryly.

"Well, yeah, basically."

"But you know I'd never do that." Jake took her hands in his.

"Yes. I know, everyone who knows you knows that you'd never split up a relationship. It's just that, all the guys see is how hot you are…"

Jake blushed, and made to refute her comment.

"Hey, you know you're gorgeous, don't even try to deny it. Unfortunately, all guys know that every girl on the planet thinks you're gorgeous too, and they don't like it."

"Well, no, I suppose not. But I still think you should tell him. At least then he won't be mad at you for lying to him about what you've been doing."

Hermione shook her head. "It wouldn't do any good. You don't know Draco. He wouldn't understand, even if I tried to explain that it's just platonic."

Jake bent his head, and for a few minutes he just watched as they played with each other's hands. His forehead wrinkled slightly, he appeared to be contemplating something important. Finally he lifted his head to look into her eyes.

"'Mione, you like this guy, right? As in really, really like, possibly love him?"

Hermione smiled as she though of Draco. "Yeah, I really, really like him."

Jake took a deep breath. "Then I think you should tell him."

Hermione looked at Jake, confused. "Jake, I just told you, he wouldn't understand."

Jake held her hands tight and looked deep into her eyes. "No. 'Mione, you need to tell him about the dancing, but you need something to help him understand. _Tell_ him."

Hermione's hands lifted mouth and her eyes widened. "Jake, no, I can't."

"You can."

"No! I promised I wouldn't ever." Hermione leaned over and hugged Jake, then jumped up and ran to the door.

"Hermione!" Jake called out, and Hermione turned just before exiting the room. "Take him with you when you go and visit Jacqui then. Trust me, he'll forgive you for anything after that experience." He waved, and gestured for her to leave.

The next day, just after lunch, Hermione arrived outside Jake's sister Jacqui's store.

"Now, remind me again why I'm being dragged in to witness your gossip session?"

"It's not a gossip- okay, well, not only a gossip session." Hermione smiled. "I have some shopping to do."

Draco moved around the car and pulled Hermione out of the driver's seat. "Well, let's go in and get it over with, I hate shopping with girls."

Hermione grinned, "I think you might come around once you see what Jacqui sells."

Draco looked up finally to take in the store front, and his jaw dropped when he saw the tasteful display of sexy, lacy lingerie in the window.

"Hermione!" Jacqui squealed as she pulled Hermione away from Draco and into a hug. "Jake didn't say you were coming today!" As she pulled away, Jacqui ran her eyes over Draco.

Draco tried to speak, but his eyes were drawn to the full racks of revealing underwear, and Hermione laughed.

"This is Draco, we go to…" Hermione broke off as she remembered that she supposedly went to an all-girls boarding school. "That is, our mothers used to go to school together."

"Uh-huh," said Jacqui, eyeing the close proximity of the pair. "In that case, Draco, would you like to have a seat? Hermione and I need to have a little chat while I show her some of our newest stock." Jacqui ushered Draco over to a seat in the corner, and then returned to Hermione, taking her by the elbow.

"Right then, let's find something to drive him crazy for you, shall we?"

Hermione gasped, then giggled, "Jacqui! Oh God, how did you know exactly what I really wanted?"

"Well, why else would you have brought him, if not to show him how gorgeous you look in your underwear, and to innocently make him sit there while you ask his opinion on which sets fit properly?"

Hermione laughed. "Good point."

Twenty minutes later, Hermione and Jacqui had exhausted the store of nearly every piece of underwear that was in Hermione's size, and that she liked, and had piled it into a fitting room. A further ten minutes and she'd narrowed her selection down to four sets, all of which she planned to model for Draco, knowing that they fit her to perfection.

Jacqui pushed Draco in the direction of the fitting room. "Go on, she just wants some help deciding." Reluctantly Draco made his way across to stand in front of the fitting room, but frowned slightly when he saw Jacqui lock the shop door and then disappear out the back.

"Well, what do you think?"

Draco turned at the sound of Hermione's voice, and his brain went crazy as he took her in. Hermione stood, just inside the fitting room door, with her hands on her slim hips. A delicate white cotton demi-bra cupped Hermione's sweet breasts. Small ruffles of white chiffon ribbon trimmed the tops of the cups, and a thin, white satin ribbon had been woven in and out of the cotton parallel to the trim, the ends tied in a small bow between her breasts, and dangling town to caress the skin just below the bra. Corset-type seams along the front of the bra added to the overall effect, reminding Draco of what had been labelled 'French Provincial' underwear in a catalogue he'd been jer- that is, _reading,_ at the beginning of the summer. His hungry eyes took in the pale flesh exposed above the bra, and then roved down over her body.

Down Draco looked, over her ribs, her waist, her belly button, her almost –but not quite- flat stomach, and eventually to land on the scrap of fabric covering her hips and that delicious place at the apex of her thighs. Also white cotton with chiffon ribbon trim at the edges, the variation on French panties was stunning on Hermione. The top of the fabric sat across her hipbones, and encased the flesh from there down to the tops of her thighs. Though the tiny "shorts" seemed decent from the front, when Hermione turned in a circle for him, Draco could see that the fabric moulded to her pert bottom, displaying the curves of her smooth cheeks.

"Draco?"

"Well, uh…" Draco stumbled over his words. He'd never seen so much of Hermione's body. Just a few short weeks ago she'd told him he'd never get near her bed, and yet here she was, parading sexy underwear in front of him. "It's … you're…"

Hermione couldn't believe that the famously cool, collected, jaded and eloquent Draco was actually having trouble finding something to say. And he was blushing, no less! Finally, she decided to take pity on him.

"It's okay, you have a think, I'll just try the next pair on."

"The … next pair?" Draco croaked as he watched Hermione turn back into the fitting room, the white cotton pulled firmly across a taut bottom. He wasn't sure how much he could handle of this – little Draco had already started to pay attention to what big Draco was seeing.

"Hermione, wait!"

Hermione poked her head out of the door to the fitting room, mischief gleaming in her eyes. "Yes?"

"Um, I really don't need to see all the pairs you tried on, you've got great taste, why don't you just choose them yourself?" Though pretending that everything was fine, Draco's eyes pleaded with Hermione to let him off the hook.

"Welllllll, I'm not sure…" she prevaricated slightly, enjoying seeing Draco uncomfortable for once in his life.

"Think of it this way, if you show them to me now, you can't surprise me with them later!" Draco grasped at the only straw he could think of that would appeal to the naughty side of Hermione's brain, which was clearly dominating the sensible at this moment.

A smile curved Hermione's lips. "Good point. But come here for a sec, I just want to check something."

"What? In there?"

"Yes, in here." Hermione grabbed his hand and pulled him into the small fitting room, closing the door behind them. She backed Draco up against the door, and then turned to nestle her back against his front, staring at their reflection in the full-length mirror.

Draco was shocked to his toes. "We're in a shop, Hermione!"

"Mmm, but Jacqui's gone out the back and closed shop for a couple of minutes." Dreamily she grasped his hands from where they were resting on her hips and slid them up her rib cage to cup her breasts the white cotton.

Draco's expression moved from shocked to a mixture of dazed, astounded and smug. It didn't, of course, stop his fingers from recognising the opportunity, and they gently squeezed Hermione's breasts involuntarily, eliciting a soft sigh from Hermione.

"What are you thinking?" the words were a timid whisper.

Draco bent his head so that his lips were next to Hermione's ear, keeping his eyes trained on hers in their reflection. "That I wish I'd discovered this side to you sooner." He slid his teeth around her earlobe and gently pulled on it, still caressing her breasts through the cotton. His lips trailed down to where her neck met her shoulder, pausing there and instinctively finding the spot that made her shiver.

"Oh God," the word were a moan as Hermione tried to turn in Draco's arms to face him.

"Oh no, you started this. Now stand still and watch." Gently Draco's fingers sought out Hermione's nipples through the fabric, the small, hard buds making discovery easy. He rubbed his thumbs back and forth over each one while alternating nibbling and sucking at that spot on her neck. Hermione's eyelids became heavy, and she wanted to close them, but couldn't take her eyes off Draco's fingers playing with her breasts.

As Draco continued his assault on Hermione, he became more aware of the effect he was having on her, registering that he was supporting her body so that she wouldn't fall to the ground, but at the same time that she was subtly moving her hips, rubbing her bottom against him. Just as he was about to finally turn her in his arms, there was a loud banging noise, and they both froze, eyes wide in shock at both what they'd been doing and the sudden return to reality.

Silently bundled against each other, they listened first to the jingle of a bell as the door opened, and then to Jacqui's voice drifting over from the front of the shop.

"No, I'm sorry Mrs. Herzal, but I'm closed at the moment"

There was the sound of another female voice speaking, but neither Hermione nor Draco could make out what she was saying.

"Yes, I know the hours on the door say I'm open, but at the moment I'm having a … private viewing."

More from the other woman.

"Well, no, normally I don't have private viewings, but this particular lady was rather insistent on having her privacy."

Draco looked into the mirror at Hermione. "Insistent, were you?" She blushed.

"Why, she's in the fitting room of course. Now, Mrs. Herzal, I really must get back to my customer, but if you still want to have a look around, might I suggest coming back in half an hour? Perhaps you have other shopping you could do first?"

The door jingled again as it was closed, and Jacqui's footsteps could be heard approaching the fitting room.

"All right Romeo, out you come so that I can open my shop again." Though the words were stern, the tone was indulgent and amused. Draco grinned at Hermione in the mirror and hugged her tight before slipping out of the fitting room.

After pulling her own underwear and then clothes on, Hermione dithered for another few minutes over which of the four sets to buy, and finally gave up, deciding to splurge and buy all of them.

While Draco waited outside the shop, Jacqui carefully wrapped each set in pristine white tissue paper, then placed them all into a large, flat box. Crimson in colour, the smoothness of the lid contrasted well the black corrugated texture of the bottom of the box. After Hermione had whizzed her keycard through the EFTPOS machine –and cringed over the state her bank balance would be in- she exchanged hugs with Jacqui and promised to visit her again before she went back to school.

Draco pushed away from the wall when Hermione emerged from the store, and gestured to the box.

"So, what did you end up getting?"

Hermione tilted her chin up to place a playful kiss on his lips. "Oh, no," she said as she climbed into the car, "you wanted it to be a surprise, and so a surprise it shall be."

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A/N: whew! Well that took longer than I expected it to! Of course, I had to stop to get some opinions from some guys on what underwear Hermione should wear, and that took longer than planned. Any more suggestions, though, for future underwear scenes would be gratefully appreciated. I like to know what everyone else thinks Hermione should wear. Until next time (which I hope is soon!), happy reading everyone!


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